Wisconsin-based BenShot does not make guns. They don’t make ammo, or gun sights, or holsters. In fact, they make “novelty glassware.” Their original product was a whiskey shot glass that looked as if it had been struck in the side by a bullet—entirely as a joke about it being a “bulletproof glass”— but it’s fair to think that people who signed on to make shot glasses might not be that interested in owning a gun.
But the father and son owners of BenShot aren’t giving their employees an option. According to USA Today, the company purchased a new handgun for every single employee of the company and handed it to them as a “Christmas present.” That included employees who had never owned, or even fired a gun. That included giving it to employees who did not want a gun.
At least two employees initially declined the gift but are considering accepting it after taking a gun-safety course that company executives required before giving the guns, Wolfgram said.
These are people who didn’t have a gun, and didn’t want a gun. But were forced to both take a course in the use of guns, and “their choice of revolver.” Company owner Ben Wolfgram may believe that most employees were “excited” to receive a firearm as their Christmas bonus. But then … he’s the boss, and when your boss is telling you that you had to take a gun-safety course and select a gun, it’s hard to say no. Especially if your boss is happily telling you that you’re going to be a workplace where everyone is going armed. Any employee who took Wolfgram to court could probably win an injunction against accepting the gun as a requirement of holding a job at a novelty glass company, though it would certainly be uncomfortable, almost as certainly be a career-limiting move.
Companies may make reasonable requirements on their employees personal lives related to their line of work. For example companies that sell golf equipment, may require that their employees understand and practice the game. However, gifting employees with a new set of irons doesn’t “substantially increase” the risk of both homicide and suicide in their homes. Forcing employees to take home a gun, definitely does.