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After a three year legislative battle, Governor Charlie Crist signed
a bill allowing people to take their guns to work as long as
the weapons remain in their vehicles, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the battle is now in federal court.

Hear it Here: Gun Battle Goes to Federal Court

The NRA and the Florida Chamber are fighting over two competing rights.
The right to bear arms, and personal property rights. The NRA says
people have a right to keep their guns in their cars while at work. The
Chamber disagrees.

“It limits the ability of the employers to provide a safe work place and
a safe working environment for their customers and their employees,” said Adam Babington with the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

A bill aimed at protecting gun owners from employers who don’t want
weapons at their business was signed by the Governor in April. The
Chamber went to federal court seeking to block the law before it takes
effect July 1st. The law would keep employers from searching employee’s cars for guns.

Signs like these can be found in parking lots across the state.
Restaurant owner Brad Buckenheimer says he would never post a no guns sign in front of his business. Bucknenheimer’s employees have to open before the sun rises, sometimes alone.

“If I’m a little bit late or somebody gets here before somebody else
they have to sit in the parking lot by themselves and I can see were you
know being a young girl they might feel that that’s the only way they
have to defend themselves,” said Bucknerheimer.

Lita Stone owns a barbershop. She’s not against her employees keeping a weapon in their car but she’d like to have the option to say no.

“I would like to be able to maybe have a say since it involves work,” said Stone.

The Florida Chamber says the right to bare arms doesn’t over shadow the
right of business owners like Stone, who want to know if a gun is on
their property.