Ruling: Employers Can't Use Penal Code to Restrict Handguns in Cars

In an opinion released Monday that reinforces a 2011 law, Attorney General Greg Abbott's office said that employers cannot prohibit an employee with a concealed handgun license from keeping a handgun in a locked, private vehicle in an employee parking lot.

State Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, wrote a request for opinion from the office on May 7 on the matter. During the 2011 session, the Legislature passed a law allowing employees to store concealed handguns in their vehicles on employer property except in cases where prohibited by federal or state law.

According to the attorney general’s opinion, Section 30.06 of the Texas penal code — which allows  employers to post notices restricting handguns or other firearms on the premises — does not supersede the state law that protects concealed handgun license holders.

The opinion also notes that there is no statute that suggests a way for employees to respond when the employer violates this law. However, “an aggrieved employee may, depending on the circumstances, have the ability to sue an offending employer,” the opinion states.

Deuell's office could not be reached for comment.