Employees allowed to be armed at work

Employees at a Davenport law firm aren’t just armed with knowledge of the law. 

Eric Puryear of Puryear Law isn’t shying away from his support for the second amendment.

In fact, he encourages employees to bring guns to work.

He even gives employees an extra $50 a month for those who do so responsibly.

Puryear said before he started law school, he didn’t own any guns or think much about the issues.

During his studies and work in Chicago, he said there was more exposure to the topic.

It’s there he decided guns provide a benefit to society, although, in addition to the gun, there’s the important component of education. 

Puryear Law Associate Attorney James Kennedy said, “I carry a Ruger LC9, which is a compact, lightweight polymer framed handgun.”

Associate Attorney James Kennedy has only been with the Puryear Law firm a few months but admits there’s one perk of the job that made the offer even more appealing. 

Kennedy said, “This is a firm I need to work at cause firearms have been something that have been part of my background for awhile, as well as actually one of the reasons why I got into law in the first place.”

In 2012, Puryear said he decided to allow his employees to conceal carry at work and even provides them a monthly bonus.

Puryear said at his law firm Thursday, “I’ve always been a supporter of the second amendment. I think that it’s good to have the law abiding people in society have the means to defend themselves.”

He said employees need to have more than just a gun but firearms training, understand concealed carry laws and a permit. 

Puryear said, “To encourage people to get that education, get that training and to lawfully and responsibly carry a gun I think it’s a good thing.”

It’s education Puryear said he works to provide outside of the law firm, moonlighting as a National Rifle Association certified instructor and staying up to date himself on issues surrounding guns. 
That’s why he said, as the United States debates making guns harder to get, new laws won’t work as a barrier. 

“The idea that you can pass that’s going to deter someone who is willing to break every other law to include the law against just doesn’t make any sense,” said Puryear.

He said instead, the focus should be on those looking to harm.

Puryear said, “Just about anything can be a deadly weapon, so we shouldn’t focus on the tool, we should focus on the bad act of the person and figure out what we can do to stop that bad person.”

Puryear said right now, he and Kennedy are the only two at the firm who carry, but in the past, as many as five employees have in the firm of about eight

Puryear also allows clients to conceal carry in the office.

He added that some of the employees aren’t as interested in guns as he is but still provides them with education and training.