FedEx logo

Brace yourselves. It seems that against all odds, the Kennesaw, Georgia facility that was the site of a mass shooting this morning was…a gun-free zone. Who’d-a thunk it, right? Based on a post at georgiapacking.org from someone who claims to have worked there, even the guards at the gate were un-armed . . .

I used to do security at that Fedex facility about 4 years ago. If this was 4 years ago this would have actually been my shift and I would have been the guard at the front.

Security there is contracted by a company called AlliedBarton. They are unarmed security. Even having a pocket knife or a cell phone on you when I worked there was grounds for immediate termination of ones job.

This FedEx facility was a gun-free zone.

[h/t Jeff]

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

74 COMMENTS

    • It hasn’t stopped me from carrying at FedEx. Of course, most of the time I go to the FedEx center it’s to drop off, or pick up, a firearm.

    • Probably not. But you will hear all about the “guns everywhere” law and how this wouldn’t have happened if NRA didn’t force this law upon Georgia.

    • I’d be a fool to take that bet.

      Why does the same mistake keep being made? Am I wrong to think that these mass shootings are exactly what is being sought?

  3. Oh look, another DZ autoplay!

    Nothing like loading up TTAG and having a commercial autoplay without opening an article

    • Yeah that’s straight up BS. Can’t stand autoplay.I even paused it, and it started itself right back up 10 seconds later as I typed this.

      • Turn the sound off. It autoplays sometimes for me, but it doesn’t cover the TTAG page. What misery am I missing?

    • I keep TTAG up all the time on my computer. This crap wakes the whole family up in the middle of the night. When it happen the other month, I was almost ready to grab my gun when I read a mans voice in the house. I don’t mind the ads down the sides but this is like breaking into my home and forcing me to watch a commercial. If it keeps up I’m out of here.

      • you should cancel your subscription and ask for a refund… oh wait. Or turn off your speakers.

    • If you’re using Chrome, there is a great little plugin called FlashControl. It does a great job shutting down pretty much any flash autoplay unless you click to start it. It also allows you to whitelist, blacklist and grant session permission for playing video.

      Great utility!

      • Is that an add-on? I just upgraded to Firefox 23.0, don’t care for Chrome, but don’t hate it either. The sound autoplays, but the video plays on another part of the screen. Out of sight. I just hit the sound mute button.

        Firefox has a bunch of new features I haven’t explored, and I may never explore them. I tend to go with what I know, and unless there’s a feature I feel is necessary, I just do what I’ve always done.

  4. News reports (CNN and others) are saying the attacker was armed with a shotgun, not an “assault rifle” as witnesses reported. Why would the attacker be wearing bandoliers (‘”He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo, a huge assault rifle and he had a knife,” Aiken said in a parking lot where employees were gathering not far from their workplace. Before she could continue, a woman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led her away.’) unless the eyewitness was – gasp – mistaken?

    • So that’s why the cable news media isn’t covering this 24/7 (without commercials), he used a shotgun instead of a scary black rifle! A day or two and this will be like it never happened, kind of like all of the other “mass” shooting/attacks where a shotgun or knife was used…..It doesn’t fit their agenda. Especially after ‘Shotgun Joe’ advised everyone to use their shotguns.

    • “FedEx clerk Liza Aiken told WXIA-News that she saw the gunman prior to the shootings and he was dressed in black and camouflage.”

      “He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo, a huge assault rifle and he had a knife,” Aiken said.

      Sounds like an candidate for MDA to me…

    • The likely explanation is that the woman doesn’t know a shotgun from an “assault rifle”, or a shotgun shell from a “bullet”.

      Urban ignorance has shot Georgia all to hell, like so many other states. Every able-bodied citizen, and I use the term loosely, should be strongly encouraged to go on one hunting trip. They need not participate, just go along. Maybe for a tax deduction. A brief firearms “look and learn” course should be an additional tax deduction.

      Learn and teach others, BIGGER tax deduction.

      • I would assume it has to do with the fact that as an employee you are handling other peoples mail/parcels. I can only assume making you go through a metal detector to ensure you have no knife or cell phone is a precaution the company takes simply to do a little CYA and claim they took proper steps to show that they made a reasonable effort to make sure you were not in possession of tools to steal either peoples mail/parcels or personal information. Both are federal crimes that I’m sure would land the company in hot water if there were ever a scandal.

        In fact many companies have official policies that prohibit the use of cell phones or cameras or any combination there of while at work because they fear loosing IP and trade secrets; seeing that policy actually enforced is another story though.

      • DAMN, roping down! VERY sharp. And no family emergency calls, either. Keep the targets unaware. Shoot away and kill, kill, kill. Watch the gun control bills override everything.

      • Bingo what Matt said. I work at Amazon and the only cell phones allowed on the floor are the salaried managers. and their phones are registered with security with serial number. Us hourly peons are not allowed cell phones or cameras to prevent theft, both of product and information. I’m sure there’s a productivity reason in there too, but that’s just icing on the cake.

    • The cell phone ban for employees has nothing to do with weapons. As others have said, its for protecting customers’ information. I work at a different fedex facility and we have the same policy here. While yes, it is a pain, having seen the caliber of people who were hired as my fellow employees I cant really blame the company.

      • I just assumed they didn’t want anyone playing angry birds instead of working and found a reason to prohibit cells…

  10. Are all their terminals gun-free zones? I had to go to their Newark, NJ terminal once and saw the “no weapons” sings plastered everywhere.

  11. Most employers at this point prohibit carry by their employees. This is no surprise.

    I would think their security would be armed though, so that’s a surprise, if true.

    • If it’s done by a contractor like Allied Barton, the cost of armed security would be prohibitive for FEDEX. These folks shave pennies by only turning right.

        • He’s referring to the fact that UPS and FedEx both design their delivery routes so that they have no left turns, or as few as reasonably possible. This is done in the interests of saving time by not waiting at left turn lights (since most states allow right turns on red) and saving (gas) money by spending less time idling at those same lights.

    • Former UPS employee. I’m 95% certain that our guards at the hub and airport were not armed. More of the “rent-a-cop” variety. UPS was paying someone else to pay someone else to sit in a booth and check IDs.

  13. After Kennesaw, Georgia gained great attention after passing a law requiring the heads of households, with some exceptions, to own and know how to operate a firearm some decades ago and lowering crime steadily since that time, a private business would require their employees to be disarmed and possibly another mentally unsound person comes in and wrecks havoc?

    How often will this be repeated in businesses before owners/managers make a decision to allow their employees the right to defend themselves and their colleagues? This is more than sad, it is a disgrace.

    • It’s an issue of legal liability more than anything else. If an employer allows its employees to carry guns and something happens, they can be held responsible. Unfortunately, our liberal courts don’t apply the reverse, in allowing people to hold their employers accountable for disarming them. Lives don’t matter, it’s all about the bottom line.

  14. One of the big discussions now that CCW is available in Illinois is: What are the responsibilities of a business who designate themselves a gun free zone to the safety and security of their employees and clients. This almost seems like the the perfect proving grounds. You have a Local ordinance requiring gun ownership, A new state law opening up the places where you can legally carry, and a crime in a gun free zone where the corporation had policy contrary to local and state norms. While i regret the injury done to the employees, this strikes me as a very similar to the Shephard case ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-concealed-carry-mary-shepard-20140425,0,1052137.story) which brought about the change in law for Illinois CCW.

  15. I used to do seasonal work for UPS many moons ago and the procedures for “security” sound similar to FedEx. There was a guard house between the employee parking lot and the sort facility. There were metal detectors for both the “in” and “out” sides of the guard house. The security guards were unarmed and most were rather portly. They were there to discourage theft, not armed aggression. The same could be said for the “Gateway Center” at Sky Harbor. That being said, at that point in AZ history, it was still illegal to leave your gun in your locked car on company property.

      • Anything to discourage more mass murder.

        Problem, reaction, solution. Everyone, PLEASE learn the Hegelian Dialectic. It explains just about every puzzling thing.

  16. I had to go to the main FedEx location here in town to pick up some ammo. I went through their joke of a guard shack after divesting myself of my Smith and my pocket knife while still in my car, but forgot about the knife in my boot.

    I tripped the metal detector and the guard drone (who barely comprehended or spoke any language spoken in the Western Hemisphere) just waved me through.

    “Security” guards are there for one purpose: “due diligence”. They are a legal fiction, not there to actually guard anything.

  18. The security guards are MOSTLY there to keep package handlers from stealing, not stuff and/or crime from entering facilities. All are contracted rent-a-cops at all buildings, never employes.

    The metal detectors are most vigorously utilized for on employees/contractors/visitors leaving a shift. Pat-downs happen on exit, not entry.

    Firsthand knowledge.

  19. The FedEx store/location here is marked with their standard no weapons sign. The terminal located next to the airport has a barbed wire topped fence and a remotely operated turnstyle with a camera and intercom. It is also a gun free zone. If you have a good excuse or reason to be there, they let you in. Once in you can wander around the place, get lost or whatever. Not really very good security but at least they don’t have a shoot me first guard at the front.

  20. WTF kind of guarding is that? Guarding without being armed? Let me guess they’re issued walkie-talkies so they can talk the badguys to death.

    • i had a part time job as an unarmed security guard once. it paid a hair better than minimum wage at the time. i only held the job a few days. the gig at the gated community was the last straw. some home owner started yelling at me for letting construction and landscape crews in 5m early. i promptly secured the gated community and left. no one was getting in or out…….basically what im saying is security guards dont give a damn. dont expect much from them

  21. Proof that FedEx doesn’t give a shit about their employees, sad. I bet FedEx management is already thinking about some sympathetic tv spots a.k.a thinly disguised commercials to exploit this tragedy.
    Overall, maybe gun free zones have a tarnished silver lining? They seem to be lightning rods for the crazies, conversely leaving those of us who chose to avoid gun free zones much safer. No more Luby’s shootings because Fort Hood is convenient, and no shootings in well-armed Kinnesaw because gun free FedEx is right there.

  23. The shooter also used a shotgun to do a lot of the damage. I thought those weren’t as dangerous or whatever. I thought it was only scary black rifles with carry handles and stuff.

  24. Just a couple of weeks ago, due to a missed delivery, I was forced to head to my local FedEx Ground facility near my community’s airport. I know, it sounds odd…but most big time FedEx facilities are at least near the airport, whether or not they deal almost exclusively with ground parcels. Anywho, it was a Saturday. It was a “secure” facility that was fenced, with barbed wire up top. I parked, and started walking to the guard shack and noticed two things. One, it was empty. Two, the signs posted implied that ALL FedEx facilities are weapon free zones. So, I turned around back to the truck, and was quickly chased down by FedEx employees returning to the guard shack. They asked if I was there to get a package, and I replied yes. I told them I’d be right back as I noticed the guard shack did indeed have metal detectors. I needed to ditch my blade, my gun, and my spare mag. I told the security guard that came out to greet me that I needed to leave my knife in the truck. Long story short, I was still wearing a bracelet, a necklace, a watch, and a belt. I got the authorization to proceed to the main building through the metal detectors even though I lit it up like a Christmas tree. The unarmed, punkish looking kid of a security guard said, “Ah, don’t worry about it. Go ahead.” Not sure what my point is here, but it is pretty clear FedEx has no clue as to how to secure a facility, and I think every single one of them is supposed to be a no gun zone. 😐

  25. Just dropped a gun off in my local Fedex main terminal which was going back to the manufacturer for repair/modification.
    Saw no signs or guards, just walked in, address certainly told the clerk where it was going. Perfectly legal.
    And was carrying another one on myself at the time.

  26. Additional kicker to this story that I just recalled: Months ago, I had to pick up both of my recalled XDs handguns, at a FedEx facility that had a sign posted banning all firearms from their little shop. Do they even think about this stuff before posting that damn sign? Obviously not.

  27. So a company that supports the NRA, at a location where everyone is required to own a firearm has a ‘gun free’ zone.

    It’s like the hypocrisy did a full 360 and came back the other way.

  28. Seems to me if one of the conditions for employment is to forfeit your right to self defense the employer should be liable when shootings like this happen. You tell me I can’t protect myself you are responsible to do it.

  29. The larger FedEx facility here in my part of the world is a posted no firearms allowed.
    The main depot a few miles away is well guarded and when you go there to get a package get no further then the guard gate room.
    They assign someone to get your package.
    I have been in the larger guarded terminal armed as it isn’t posted. Specifically to pick up ammo many times.
    The smaller local FedEx I no longer go to because of its no guns policy.
    Maybe they all have different policies??
    I cant say for the local stores as Ive never looked to see if they are posted or not.

  30. Fox reported from witnesses, an ‘assault weapon’ was used. AP, Reuters, and local sources including PD sources reported the weapon as a shotgun. CNN of course says nothing of the weapon since it wasn’t an evil assault weapon. I understand the want to be on top of a breaking story, but come on. The least these reporters could do is wait a few hours to get the facts right. Much like when Aaron Alexis shot up the Naval Yard in DC, there were pictures plastered everywhere of an AR-15. Then it turned out to be an 870. And the response was, move along nothing to see here. There has to be something we the readers can do to keep these people honest without of course involving Uncle Sam.

  31. I think we have established that the shooter used a shotgun, but any word on the type of ammo used? If six were shot and none were killed I would put my money on it being the cheapest 7 ½ birdshot he could find.

  32. And this is why when I worked for AlliedBarton up here in WA state the head of security, an elderly ex-navy gent, told us to carry /something/, because working a 1-2 man shift sucked enough, and losing a job sure beats getting stabbed with nothing but a pen-light to fight back with.

  33. and folks have walked into police stations, pulled out guns, and started shooting…..and police stations are guns everywhere zones.

    You can dispense the OMG ‘gun-free zone’ mumbo jumbo.

  35. If I was an employee at a “Gun Free” facility, and our “security” was not armed. After an incident like this, my lawyer and I would own that company.

Comments are closed.