(a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), a public or private employer may restrict or prohibit its employees, including those with a permit issued or recognized under Section 13A-11-75, from carrying firearms while on the employer's property or while engaged in the duties of the person's employment.
(b) A public or private employer may not restrict or prohibit the transportation or storage of a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in an employee’s privately owned motor vehicle while parked or operated in a public or private parking area if the employee satisfies all of the following:
(1) The employee either:
a. Has a valid concealed weapon permit; or
b. If the weapon is any firearm legal for use for hunting in Alabama other than a pistol:
i. The employee possesses a valid Alabama hunting license;
ii. The weapon is unloaded at all times on the property;
iii. It is during a season in which hunting is permitted by Alabama law or regulation;
iv. The employee has never been convicted of any crime of violence as that term is defined in Section 13A-11-70, nor of any crime set forth in Chapter 6 of Title 13A, nor is subject to a Domestic Violence Order, as that term is defined in Section 13A-6-141;
v. The employee does not meet any of the factors set forth in Section 13A-11-75(a)(1)a.1-8; and
vi. The employee has no documented prior workplace incidents involving the threat of physical injury or which resulted in physical injury.
(2) The motor vehicle is operated or parked in a location where it is otherwise permitted to be.
(3) The firearm is either of the following:
a. In a motor vehicle attended by the employee, kept from ordinary observation within the person's motor vehicle.
b. In a motor vehicle unattended by the employee, kept from ordinary observation and locked within a compartment, container, or in the interior of the person’s privately owned motor vehicle or in a compartment or container securely affixed to the motor vehicle.
(c) If an employer believes that an employee presents a risk of harm to himself/herself or to others, the employer may inquire as to whether the employee possesses a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle. If the employee does possess a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle on the property of the employer, the employer may make any inquiry necessary to establish that the employee is in compliance with subsection (b).
(1) If the employee is not in compliance with subsection (b), the employer may take adverse employment action against the employee, in the discretion of the employer.
(2) If the employee has been in compliance with subsection (b) at all times, the employer may not take adverse employment action against the employee based solely on the presence of the firearm.
(d) If an employer discovers by other means that an employee is transporting or storing a firearm in his or her private motor vehicle, the employer may not take any adverse employment action against the employee based solely on the possession of that firearm if the employee has complied with the requirements in subsection (b).
(e) Nothing in this section shall prohibit an employer from reporting to law enforcement a complaint based upon information and belief that there is credible evidence of any of the following:
(1) That the employee's motor vehicle contains:
a. A firearm prohibited by state or federal law.
b. Stolen property or a prohibited or illegal item other than a firearm.
(2) A threat made by an employee to cause bodily harm to themselves or others.
(f) If law enforcement officers, pursuant to a valid search warrant or valid warrantless search based upon probable cause, exigent circumstances, or other lawful exception to the search warrant requirement, discover a firearm prohibited by state or federal law, stolen property, or a prohibited or illegal item other than a firearm, the employer may take adverse employment action against the employee.
(g) However, if the employee has fully complied with the requirements of subsection (b) and does not possess a firearm prohibited by state or federal law, that employee is entitled to recovery as specified in this subsection for any adverse employment action against the employee. If demand for the recovery has not been satisfied within 45 calendar days, the employee may file a civil action in the appropriate court of this state against the public or private employer. A plaintiff is entitled to seek an award of all of the following:
(1) Compensation, if applicable, for lost wages or benefits.
(2) Compensation, if applicable, for other lost remuneration caused by the termination, demotion, or other adverse action.
(h) The license requirements set forth in sections (b)(1)a. and (b)(1)b.i. are for the purposes of this section only in order to determine whether an employee may transport or store a lawfully possessed firearm or ammunition in an employee’s privately owned motor vehicle while parked or operated in a public or private parking area owned by the employer and shall not be construed to otherwise expand the requirements for the lawful possession of a firearm. These requirements shall not be interpreted to mean that the laws of the State of Alabama create any new connection between the possession of a hunting license and the right of a citizen to keep and bear arms.
(i) Prohibitions regarding the carrying of a firearm under this section shall not apply to law enforcement officers engaged in the lawful execution of their official duties.
(j) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the transportation, carrying, storing, or possession of a firearm or ammunition where prohibited by federal law.
Last modified: May 3, 2021