Pros / Cons - Known as "The Gun Guy" at Work

[chucksmooth]

i've talked with a few people at work about guns and it appears that news travels fast. it seems that i am now known as the 'gun guy.'

i'm not too concerned about it but if i had the choice i'd rather it not be known by everyone (read: HR)

 

[45Dave]

sometimes good/sometimes bad

I work for the F car company where they have it in there policy book about anti gun on premise and in the salary world it is frowned on.

I am known as a gun guy at work, often people come up and ask questions, answer what I can, refer to source for stuff I have no idea about. Most people are cool about it however, a friend of mine major hunter, has been talked to by Labor Relations over some people being afraid of his hobby.
He has been requested to remove all pictures of his hunting (kids and deer tasteful) any reference to hunting or shooting and was told he would not move up or may be removed because of his hobby. It turns out it was his supervisor who has the problem (Ex San Francisco clown) and none of the other people in his office fessed to complaining. The guy is a very high end computer programmer who has only had above excellent review for 12 years, always got his raises. He is low key about his hunting and will talk about it when ask, never pushes his hunting on anyone. His solution was to print the manual, meet with the H/R people and his boss, ask where his lawyer was to send the letters to about workplace harassment. Needless to say, he is still respected in his job by his peers, at a dead end but is paying a price for being a gun guy.

 

[Curtis(USAF)]

I made bonus points! I was refered to as the Gun Nerd. Not the gun nut, not the gun guy, The Gun Nerd.

I see it as a badge of honor.

 

[CGSteve8718]

While it sounds like something to be proud of on here, I think the majority of the outside world view it differently. You never know with so many "progressives" out there, where that may have an adverse effect on your promotions, psych evals, people spreading ignorant rumors, etc. Some stupid supervisor, manager, HR person, company shrink, etc. could view your hobby as "dangerous" and "abnormal" just like they do with so many kids who draw and play out cowboys and indians, cops and robbers. A simple misguided observation like that could be enough to get you fired on grounds for a possibly unsafe work environment.

I personally don't share any of that info to anyone unless I already know that the person I'm talking to is like minded.

I'm not saying to hide it, or to be ashamed, absolutely not. Just don't volunteer information.

No matter how many gun owners there are in America, no matter how many states are moving towards better gun rights, we are still the minority and those "normal" people will always view us as crazy. I mean, think of the children! Our hobby is dangerous!

 

[model70fan]

I along with about 90% of the people that work for us are all known as "gun guys" We have a company trap team, company membership at the local indoor pistol range, we have an archery range complete with full size 3D targets and a forklift with a pallet on it to simulate treestand shooting If someone needs to talk to the "gun guy" at our company you can ask almost anyone from the owner/president to one of our part time employees.

 

[Inspector3711]

+1 for being the gun guy. Don't want to be the "Crazy" gun guy though. Represent it as a traditional american sport/passtime and freedom. Then be proud of it.
I'm the gun and fireworks guy and lucky for me I work with a really awesome gun girl!

 

[The Tourist]

During the mid-1980's I was known as "the gun guy." And it was great. My duties included internal security of the physical plant, and I got to carry a Detonics and a Colt Officers ACP with the big boss' approval.

He was also a gun guy, and actually felt hurt if I bought something new and didn't bring it into work. And this is in Madison, Wisconsin.

I was actually cleaning a pistol at my desk, and he brought in a client for an impromptu meeting. I could see the client was a tad confused, and we made a joke about the fact I was also the company's bill collector. I offered to put the gun away, but my hands were already black, the client had seen the gun...

Right after that I got into high-end knives and sharpening. I might have still been known as a target shooter, but knives were easier to discuss at work then. And no matter where you go in Wisconsin, you find deer hunters. I was still working credit, but I got an ever increasing amount of knife repair work.

Now, I'm "the knife guy." Even here on this forum, and one other place I haunt over the morning latte' and crossword puzzle, most of the PM questions I get are about knives. I'm also a bullet caster and reloader, but I seldom hear about those facets of the hobby.

Friends and co-workers are always a bit stunned when they ask me for a knife. I will not loan out a personal knife. I don't want it damaged by idiots. And you'd be amazed on how much blood needed to cleaned from my blades after being handled by "experts."

I'm the knife guy, not "the knife lender." Buy your own stuff if you open boxes for a living.

 

[cool hand luke 22:36]

Is being known like that good or bad?

It has the potential to be a bad thing, very bad, particularly if you work for a large company or government agency.

These outfits will have the ability to profile you based on things like co-workers spilling the beans or complaining aout you, or your web surfing at work, visit any firearms related sites?

Could affect their decisions about retention, or firing if any interpersonal dispute arises in the workplace. Thier insurance companies will lean on them to do this. It'll affect whose cubicle, briefcase or car is searched by corporate/plant/agency security, etc.

 

[Loaded4yote]

I try to keep quiet at work about firearms. Most of the folks I work with are the type who shoot 6 rounds out of the .30-30 the week/day before deer season and call it quits. The majority haven't ever been to a actual range and refer to ammunition as "bullets". Some have an interest in firearms, just not as deep as the great folks on these forums!

Then theres always the guy who's brother-in-law said his friends, brothers, girlfriends, sisters, dads, uncle, twice removed, just bought this Uber streetsweepingbrushbustingdeerslayinburglerscare'n Remington featherduster with nightsights, red dots, green dots, polka dots, silencers, and has a 92 round clip, folding telescopic stock, with a strap like the Navy SEALS use. Which he used to kill the state record vorpalrhinosaurus last weekend but decided not to notify the proper people to have it recorded in the record books.

All I say is "Wish I had one of those"

 

[allenomics]

Probably not good. Okay with friends, but I'd strive for a balanced reputation at work.

 

[The Canuck]

I get a few guys in our shop asking if they can come down and blat off a few at the range with me from time to time. I actually get more questions about guns and related info from my classmates in technical training than I do at work.

It is good for the most part, except for the usual comments about how guns are solely to kill people and that they shouldn't be carried, these words come from a guy who says, in all seriousness, that he want's to know how to use a variety of guns for when society unravels...

 

[tony pasley]

I am the "GunGuy" where I work and have had people call from corperate office to ask about different types of guns and if they were worth a certian price.

 

[Tom2]

I got that rep now too. Folks ask questions and I am glad to help if I can. But I don't advertise it. At least one guy got p***d off at me because I refused his request to work on his gun for him as I don't want anyone being able to say I did something not kosher. Sometimes they come asking me about where to buy a gun and they seem to me maybe to thinking that I might have something for them, and I don't. So it has good points and bad I guess. But I am sticking with the low profile. You say the wrong thing and you are screwed nowadays.

 

[zxcvbob]

I get this at work and from all people its my manager. I told him to knock it off that it paints a bad picture of me. He apologized, but not to long after he did it again. I work in NH on the MA border and there’s plenty of anti’s around. The workplace shooting at Edgewater Technology happened not far from here. This is no place to joke like my manager did. I can’t stand the guy as it is. He knows one more time and I’m going to HR.

Go to HR and use the magic words "hostile work environment".

 

[CraigC]

For me it's been almost all "con". Except for those coworkers I actually consider friends, I usually try to keep a low profile in that regard. Most the time they really don't know enough to have a real two-way conversation and there's only so much bragging about the latest .300PeckerHead Magnum I can listen to.

 

[UniversalFrost]

cool hand wrote

It has the potential to be a bad thing, very bad, particularly if you work for a large company or government agency.

No it doesn't! I work for the gov't (one of the 4 letter agencies) as a GS civy and a lot of the guys are gun guys. WHen I was a contractor 99% of us were gun guys. And when I was in the military we were all gun guys, though some of us had a more "practical" knowledge and could answer more "normal" gun questions.

I have run in to some offices where I work and especially when I go back east that are very liberal and frown on guns, but I simply let them know my side of the story and respect their views, but I offer advice to whom ever when they ask. I also like to preach gun safety and hunter safety and the benifits of CCW. i have even gotten some of the anti's to agree with my view points (even though they didn't like to admit it).

As long as you don't push your opinions on others and they don't push theirs on you then all is ok. If they try and harrass you or pull some c#$p like threatening you that they will not promote you etc... then that is what HR, Lawyers, union reps, and the EEO rep are for.

Me I can't carry a gun at work (in a federal building), but I do carry a few knives (some fed places don't allow this so check with security first) and I like to talk about them with a few other knife guys. Sometimes folks over hear us and we help them out in picking a knife. Now, I do bring my gun mags to work also, and one lady did tell me that she though they were in approprite, but I politely said that I find her cosmo and feminine mags inapproprite and I would not say anything to HR if she didn't. Since then I have actually helped her pick a CCW pistol (nice little USPc) and got her into a CCW course and have turned her to the RTKBA side after she had issues with an ex and needed help.

Anyway, if you work in an anti- workplace, I would suggest to keep your hobby a secret and find a different job.

JOE

 

[cool hand luke 22:36]

No it doesn't! I work for the gov't (one of the 4 letter agencies) as a GS civy and a lot of the guys are gun guys

Same here. And I know for a fact that every webpage visited from a Fed.Gov work station is logged against a user i.d. and a timestamp.

You're deluding yourself if you think your agency doesn't use a profile of your web browsing, and that firearms sites aren't flagged.

Private converstaions are another thing. I'd still be careful about trusting anyone at work too far unless I knew them very well.

 

[chemgirlie]

It depends on where you work and who you work with. I'm going to UW-Madison in the middle of hippie-ville, so I try not to advertise my hobby here because of the negativity that is automatically assigned to anybody who owns guns. I don't lie about it, I just don't shout it from the rooftops. However, if you live in an area that is gun-friendly and your coworkers are okay with it, I don't think there's any need to hide it. At my job away from Madison I'm also known as the gun girl, but it works out there because those people aren't terrified of inanimate objects.

 

[Powderman]

I am known as a gun guy at work, often people come up and ask questions, answer what I can, refer to source for stuff I have no idea about. Most people are cool about it however, a friend of mine major hunter, has been talked to by Labor Relations over some people being afraid of his hobby.
He has been requested to remove all pictures of his hunting (kids and deer tasteful) any reference to hunting or shooting and was told he would not move up or may be removed because of his hobby. It turns out it was his supervisor who has the problem (Ex San Francisco clown) and none of the other people in his office fessed to complaining. The guy is a very high end computer programmer who has only had above excellent review for 12 years, always got his raises. He is low key about his hunting and will talk about it when ask, never pushes his hunting on anyone. His solution was to print the manual, meet with the H/R people and his boss, ask where his lawyer was to send the letters to about workplace harassment. Needless to say, he is still respected in his job by his peers, at a dead end but is paying a price for being a gun guy.

Your friend is a victim of discrimination, and possible hostile work environment/retaliation. He needs to demand, on each one of his regularly scheduled reviews, reasons IN WRITING why he is not being considered for promotion. Be polite, but firm and resolute.

Unfortunately, there are LOTS of places where talking about firearms is frowned upon--even those places where people carry and use firearms for a living. If you don't believe me, talk to officers from departments in the liberal west, or any predominantly liberal part of the country.

 

[BlueTrain]

I'm known as a gun guy, I guess, at least among the other gun guys. A couple of people where I work now ever used to work for the NRA, just down the road from here. Only they really aren't gun people. They're hunters. The problem with labels is that they tend to narrowly define something, especially people. So "gun guy" is pretty broad, actually, and the closest thing I can think of the old term, "gun nut" from as far back as the 1960's, before there were survivalists, snipers, militias, mass murderers, blue and red states, and shout radio. But there was paranoia.

It is a good thing if people at work, the ones you see all the time anyway, know what your interests are. It probably isn't a good thing if you are doing things that are embarassing or illegal or in the closet. Most (but not all) people can be surprisingly accepting of a lot of things provided they don't belong to a group that tries to tell them what to think. The trick, of course, is somehow letting people know about those things without causing a problem and being casual about it. Like the anti-gun person who might want to learn to shoot, someone might even be interested.

I still have a few secrets left, though.