My #1 Prediction For 2018: More Shootings. Here's How We Can Stop Them.

I promised that my next post would be my employment law predictions for 2018. Frankly, I've been putting it off because it's so depressing. However, in light of yesterday's shootings only a few miles from my home, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, I had to weigh in. Not only will there be more school shootings this year, but there will be more workplace shootings. That is a 100% certainty.

I'm so tired of thoughts and prayers I could scream. Everyone I know has been personally affected by yesterday's shooting in some way. Thankfully, my daughters are safe. Many can't say the same. It's time to stand up and take action to stop this madness.

Adding to my rage and sadness, I actually knew Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She was a fellow Wellesley alum (obviously different years). I went with her to the White House when she was awarded the Medal of Freedom for her tireless work saving the Everglades. While we were there, I got to sit with her during the signing of the Brady Bill. She was so proud that Bill Clinton was doing something to help with gun control. She would be mortified that her name will now be used in the same breath as Columbine and Sandy Hook every time there is a new school shooting. I take personal umbrage that her memory is now tarnished with this horror.

But what can we do? Well, throwing up our hands hasn't worked. We are the only country this is happening in. The other countries that don't have these incidents have reasonable gun control. We have the most guns of any country. If having more guns makes you more safe, why are we the only place this is happening.

Here is my plan to slow down and substantially reduce the mass shootings in this country:

1. Assault Weapons Ban: From 1994 to 2004, we had an assault weapons ban. Mass shootings went down. When the GOP refused to renew it, they shot up. This is an easy and obvious partial solution to the problem.
2. Background Checks For Gun Shows: The Brady Bill is a law requiring background checks before gun purchases, but the GOP working with the NRA has managed to work in so many loopholes that it is almost worthless. According to the Brady Campaign, "experts estimate that 1 out of 5 gun sales occur in 'no questions asked' transactions that often take place over the Internet or at gun shows where, in most states, background checks are not required. This dangerous loophole puts thousands and thousands of guns in the hands of dangerous people like domestic abusers, felons and the dangerously mentally ill." There is a proposed law to close this loophole. It should be passed.
3. Include Social Media In Background Checks: We need to do background checks for guns as thorougly as employers do for potential employment. The kid who did this horrific shooting posted multiple threats to shoot people on social media. Part of every background check for potential gun ownership should include mandatory disclosure of all social media sites and handles. Failure to disclose should be a crime in itself.
4. Include Domest Violence Arrests in Background Checks: Domestic violence history is a red flag for potential mass shooters. If a potential gun buyer has such an arrest, even if not convicted, it should trigger a deeper background check including interviews with neighbors, employers, friends, and family, as well as the doctors who treated the victim. A conviction should result in automatic denial.
5. Provide Due Process for Gun Purchase Denials: If someone is denied a gun purchase based on a social media posting, let them appeal to an administrative judge or panel with no filing fee so that they can explain their side and try to get the decision reversed. That should allay concerns that people can be denied for unjust reasons.
6. Deny Guns To Those On The Terrorist Watch List: Seems obvious, but the GOP won't pass it. Same due process to appeal a denial as above so if someone is wrongly on the list, they can seek justice.
7. Buy Back Assault Weapons: How do we get the assault weapons off the streets? How about making owners an offer they can't refuse? Offer to buy them back at an outrageous price. How about $10,000 for your weapon? That would be a good investment of tax dollars. No, it wouldn't get them all off the streets, but I bet it would get a lot.
8. Confiscate Guns Of Criminals: If someone lies on their background check to obtain the gun, or is arrested for domestic violence or other violent crime, it should be instant probable cause to confiscate their registered weapons and search their homes, offices and vehicles for non-registered ones. The weapons should be held in custody until the person is found not guilty. In order to get the weapons back, a new background check should be done. If they are kept due to a conviction or failure of the background check, fair market value should be paid. There should be a right to a due process hearing on this as well.
9. Rise Up and Protest: I suggest a Million Parent March on Tallahassee as a start. The Florida legislature is in session, and much gun regulation has to be done on the state level. Let's start working state by state to get dangerous guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

These are my thoughts on the issue. Some of the above has been the subject of proposed legislation, some has not. Until we take action to address this problem, we will have more of our children and employees slaughtered. Thoughts and prayers are not enough.

Employment Law Blog Carnival Mother’s Day Edition

This month’s Employment Law Blog Carnival has lots of posts with great career tips - so good, your mother might give them to you. Although Mother’s Day has passed, it’s never too late to take guidance from mom.

Here’s the best employment law advice a mother can give, in the best employment law blogs a mother could want.  

Don’t Talk To Strangers

Instead of going on reality shows to meet strangers in a misguided attempt to find love, you meet the best mates doing what you enjoy. In Jon Hyman’s post, The Bachelor as discrimination? Publicity stunt lawsuit undermines legitimate discrimination claims, things didn’t go so well looking for love in all the wrong places. If only they’d listened to mom . . .  

Behave Yourself

If you didn’t behave as well as mom wanted (or if your employees didn’t), you might want to read Daniel Schwartz’s post, EEOC Releases Important Guidance on Use of Criminal and Arrest Records By Employers and John Holmquist's post, Asking the question: the EEOC's enforcement guidance on arrests and convictions.

Don’t Make Rude Gestures

Adam Whitney’s post, You’re Damned if You Fire an Employee Who Gives You the Finger tells you what you can (and can’t) do with an employee who loses a finger or flips you the bird.

Work Out Your Problems

John Fullerton's post, FINRA Rule 13803: Compelling Arbitration Claims to be Filed in Court, tells about yet another way employers and employees may work out problems.

If You Can't Say Anything Nice, Don't Say Anything

Ari Rosenstein and Eric Meyer talk about the downsides of social media in Social Media: Useful Tool or Employment Pitfall? and Report: Employees share WAY more Facebook info than they think
If only the people in their posts had listened to Mom.

Study Hard

Sometimes, no matter how hard you study, you won't do well. That's because there's something wrong with the test. In Jacksonville Firefighter Litigation Shows Perils of Using Improperly Validated Tests, George Leonard tells how one test went terribly wrong, and advises employers how to make sure promotion and hiring tests won't be thrown out.

A great example of someone who should have studied harder is in Mark Toth's How to Hire If You Want to Get Fired. Learn what not to do when interviewing candidates in a hilarious what-not-to-do video. Personally, I hope you all interview like this. It will make my job on the employee side way easier.

Mind Your Own Business

Philip Miles and Jessica Miller-Merrill tell us about legislation to keep employers from snooping into employee's passwords in SNOPA - Proposed Federal Legislation on Employer Social Networking Password Requests and US Bill Would Make Employer Requests for Facebook Access Illegal.
MYOB, nosy employers.  

In Reviewing Private Social Media Accounts as a Candidate Screening Tool: Dangerous, even with Policies & Procedures, Shaun Reid warns of the dangers of not listening to mom's good advice about snooping.

Family Is The Most Important Thing

In 6 Steps to Avoid Family Responsibilities Discrimination Claims, Dawn Lomer advises employers how to avoid getting in trouble when employees put family first.

Don't Lie

Mom's advice is particularly good when your lie ruins things for everyone else. If you lie about your need for Family and Medical Leave, you make it harder for everyone who really needs it.  Robin Shea does a terrific analysis of when an employer can fire an employee for lying about FMLA leave in When can an employer fire an employee for medical leave fraud?

Don't Hit

Mom would not be proud of all the boss-directed violence in the game I talk about in my post, Top Reasons Why Kick The Boss Is One of the Top Apps. Or maybe she'd be glad you have an outlet instead of violence.

90% of Life is Showing Up

Okay, that wasn't mom, it was Woody Allen. But as a mom, I tell my kids this all the time. Randy Enochs tells us about the importance of showing up to work, even with a disability, in 9th Circuit Discusses "Attendance" as Essential Function of Job in ADA Claim. [Note to faithful readers - no, you aren't hallucinating. This is a late edition to the ELBC, but a very worthwhile one. Mom would say, "Better late than never." I'm glad Randy decided to show up at ELBC!]


Be an Overachiever

I saved Robert Fitzpatrick for last because he definitely did mom proud this week. He asked me to post three of his posts in ELBC. Bob, you're putting us all to shame. Here they are:

(1) Proposed FederalLegislation to Prohibit Employers from Requiring or Requesting Access to SocialMedia of Employees or Applicants

(2) No Settlement Negotiations Privilege

(3) USERRA and the Escalator Principle

There you have it: all my favorite employment law bloggers in one handy spot. If you read them all, not only will mom be pleased you did your homework, but you'll come away with lots of useful knowledge (unlike when I studied the law against perpetuities).

From everyone here at the Employment Law Blog Carnival, here's hoping you had a wonderful and happy Mother's Day! If you follow all the tips and advice in these blogs, you'll spend way less time in court and have more time to spend with mom.