Workplace Ethics Case 8.4: Have Gun, Will Travel… To Work (Term Paper Sample)

Workplace Ethics
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Case 8.4: Have gun, Will Travel… To Work
The second Amendment law of the states makes it legal to own firearms making it a legal and moral right for the civilians. Moral rights fall under universal acceptability of Kant’s Ethics. The American culture has adopted the right to bear firearms, however, there are cases whereby these rights must be for the safety of other people. Having the gun at the work premises where there is no situation that warrants its use, the moral worth and action of the owner of the firearm are not questionable.
The problem can arise when someone is angry over some situation making the gun carried to be used which can be devastating. Many organizations are against this right for employees to carry their guns to the workplace. Research has it that 80 percent of all the work-related homicides was accounted for the guns carried by the employees. Parking a car with a gun in it in a public lot is a legal right. Ensuring that the car can be properly locked and that there is no chance that a person can enter the car is a moral responsibility.
The state laws can differ with the company’s law especially if the company is private. An employee has a legal right to park their cars with guns in them in the company parking lot. However, this will depend on the policies and standards of the company. If the company does not allow for the gun to be inside the car parked, then they should implement a different rule to have the guns kept safely when they come in the morning and take them as they leave. The moral worth of the employee should depend on the action done by them with the gun.
They have a moral right to have the gun for safety concerns, however, they also have a moral responsibility to ensure that the gun is well locked up in the car when they leave it so that it does not fall on the wrong hands. The property rights and the safety of the employers highly depend on the moral worth of the employee with the gun. The company also promises to guarantee the safety of its employees (Shaw, 2016). Destruction of the company property or harming the employer with a legally issued gun can be as a result of grudge between the gun holder and the company. It is therefore ethical that policies that can curb this action be put in place, which would include having the guns stored safely by the security as long as the employee is on the premises.
Supposing there was no legal right for the employee to carry their guns, it would not be a good policy for the company to allow the employees keep their guns in the car. This is because it would be breaking the law by allowing them to carry guns to the workplace. Some companies have good grounds for being concerned about weapons in their parking lots while others do not. Human psychology affects how we operate, therefore for some employers are afraid of the reaction that would arise in the case of some disagreements among the staff. They, therefore, have put policies to curb the situation.
Companies banning guns from their parking lots would violate their rights set by their states and also nullify the right of the people to self-defense. The state laws are meant to be followed and the rights given to the people embraced.
By banning the right to carry guns, the companies would be violating the rights of the employees in the company. Self-defence is crucial in the current world. Today, crime has increased at a high rate. When guns are not allowed in the work premises, then the people have no means to defend themselves. The gun advocates have at some points been guilty of politicizing the issue. The guns that are legally given to the people for self-defense have been used in criminal activities. This has made the gun advocates discuss the right to guns many times as a result.
People with the right to guns have constantly been involved with domestic terrorism. The matter of carrying the gun to the workplace and leaving it in the parking lot should be left to the companies and the employees to settle. Factors such as how safe the area around the working place should be considered. Policies agreed by both the employees and the employer should be followed.
The decision of the company whether to have employees leave their guns in the parking lot or not should be an agreed on the decision between the two parties. Not having the gun in the parking lot, means that the gun is at home. As the employees leave work to go home, they all go different directions some of which are safe and some are not. In this circumstance, it is reasonable for self-safety to allow the employees carry their guns. In some rare cases, attacks which can be a terror group at the workplace could be curbed by the employees using their guns. Presence of guns in the parking lot of the company does not necessarily mean that the environment for working is not safe. This does not violate the rights of other employees to be guaranteed a safe working place.
The moral and ethical inclination of the owner of the gun should be the guiding principle. The set rules and ethics of the company should be the main things ensuring the safety of its employees and not the presence of guns in the parking lot.
A libertarian believes in free will, they hold on to the basic moral concepts which they believe to be the individual human rights. The rights include rights to liberty, life or property. However, a libertarian believes that the only proper limit to person’s enjoyment of these rights is their duty to respect the similar rights of others. In this case, a libertarian would agree with the right to carry a gun to the working environment because it is a human right. However, the limitation would be to respect the other people in the environment by having a moral responsibility to conserve their lives, property, and liberty. A utilitarian believes that whether the actions are morally right or wrong, the effects are what really matters. Utilitarian evaluates things such as moral codes, policies, actions, laws, and character traits. Best overall results are considered among all the things mentioned. In this case, a utilitarian would consider the effects that a gun could have at a workplace. The actions that can be taken using the gun could be good or bad resulting in right or wrong. A good action would involve self-defense against a malicious intruder or hostile enemy. A bad action would involve not using the morals expected to solve problems with colleagues and employer and instead of hurting them. A utilitarian would consider that carrying the gun would be both beneficial and dangerous, however, the result of carrying the gun would be wrong because when used, someone good or bad is hurt. A utilitarian would disagree with the right to carry a gun.
Besides the moral and ethical code of the company each employee is supposed to abide by, policies regarding weapons carried to the workplace would be good. A policy to have the guns stored in a closed room with a guard in place instead of leaving the gun in the car would be a good policy. When a gun is left in the car, it is easy for the employee to get it and do the harm they intent. By putting a policy to have a gun storage during the work hours ...