The Fifth Circuit held on August 8, 2016, that employers who prohibit workers from storing guns in locked vehicles may be subject to wrongful discharge claims.

The Mississippi statute in question provides that “a public or private employer may not establish, maintain, or enforce any policy or rule that has the effect of prohibiting a person from transporting or storing a firearm in a locked vehicle in any parking lot, parking garage, or other designated parking area.”

When a Mississippi man was fired for storing a gun in his locked car on company property, he sued his former employer for wrongful discharge. The district court dismissed his claim, holding that the statute does not create a cause of action for fired employees.
The Mississippi Supreme Court found that the statute did create a cause of action for wrongful termination in Mississippi.