Company owner requires workers to have firearm at the office

ATLANTA — The decision by the owner of a small insurance company to require his employees to carry firearms at the office has sparked a debate:

When a longtime employee, a National Rifle Association-certified instructor who’s been the company’s unofficial security officer, announced her retirement, Toland wanted to ensure the remaining employees were safe.

An employer’s legal standing to impose such a requirement depends on several factors, foremost whether the business is high risk, a convenience store or taxi company, for example, said Carin Burford, a labor lawyer in Birmingham, Ala.

About half of U.S. states have laws allowing people to keep firearms in their cars at work.