Business leaders urge lawmakers to reject guns in parking lot bill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Tennessee lawmakers are about to take aim on another gun bill on Capitol Hill, this time concerning guns in parking lots.

Second amendment advocates say the bill, SB 3002,is about their right of self-defense, but most people can agree it's a conflict of property rights, gun rights and personal safety.

The billwould allow drivers to carry a permitted weapon into employer or public parking lots if the firearm is stored out of sight in a locked vehicle.

"It's very simple. You need to be able to defend yourself, protect yourself going to and from work," said Sen. Mike Faulk, the bill sponsor.

Many business leaders believe the bill is a bad idea.

"We feel that employers have the right to set the rules on their property and those rules should include the right to restrict employees bringing their guns on company property," said Bill Ozier, chairman of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The controversial issue drew a broad range of opponents to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.Business leaders from hospitals to private universities came to share their fears about the bill.

"When people's jobs are at stake, they get very emotional or you have love triangles that happen among the employers. If all they've got to fight with is their hands and maybe a stick they find or a pocket knife, no one gets hurt to seriously. But if they have easy access to a gun, the risk is a lot higher,"

So what are the chances that Tennesseans may be able to carry weapons in parking lots?

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Business leaders urge lawmakers to reject guns in parking lot bill