by Attorney Eric D. PuryearSince the year 2011, Puryear Law has offered employees a $50/month bonus if they choose to take the training to obtain their permit to carry, lawfully obtain that permit, and lawfully and safely carry at the firm’s office. On March 17, 2015, a boyfriend of a (still unidentified) former employee apparently mentioned that to a morning talk radio show that was discussing things employees could do to earn some extra money while at work. I returned from the courthouse that morning to find my staff smiling and telling me to check my voicemail, as they knew about that statement on the radio and a subsequent call from a news station. Some of my staff and I sat down for interviews with some very nice reporters from WQAD and KWQC, and the stories ran on the local tv and internet news on March 17 and 18, 2015.
I was quite honored that people in the Quad Cities cared about our carry bonus, and thought that was the end of it. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that things were just getting started. A variety of news outlets around the country picked up the story, including the Chicago Tribune and Headline News, and I also was interviewed for radio and internet stories. Particularly satisfying from a professional standpoint was the ABA Journal (an excellent legal system news outlet) picking up the story.
The following week, we did receive exactly one less-than-pleasant response to the news reports about our support of safe and lawful gun ownership. That response came from Chief Judge Marlita Greve of the 7th Judicial District of Iowa, and more information on that situation can be seen here. On a positive note, dozens of emails came in from people who liked the policy. All in all, it was a fun week and I feel great knowing that millions of people were thinking about and talking about lawful concealed carry in the workplace. My staff really got a kick out of it too, and we hope we have done our small part to help advance safe and lawful gun ownership.