Texas and many other states in the South have passed state laws in recent years restricting employers from terminating employees who keep their lawfully-licensed concealed handgun locked in their vehicle. For the most part, these laws do not create a private cause of action that would allow a suit for damages against the employer. For example, in Texas, an employee’s recourse would be to file a complaint with the Texas Attorney General.

This week, in a case of first impression, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi) reversed the dismissal of a wrongful termination claim against an employer and concluded that an employee can sue for damages under Mississippi law. The case is Swindol v. Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., No. 14-60779, and can be found here. Generally, the facts of the case are that Swindol parked his truck on his employer’s lot with his firearm locked inside. Management learned of the gun and fired Swindol for violating its strict company policy prohibiting firearms on company property. This policy, however, was in conflict with state law that allowed Swindol to store his handgun in a locked vehicle on his employer’s property.

The federal court sent a certified question to the Mississippi Supreme Court asking whether it would consider a violation of the state concealed handgun law to be a violation of an important “public policy,” warranting an exception to the employment at will doctrine. The Mississippi Supreme Court answered “yes,” which meant the wrongful termination case could proceed.

Not all states recognize a public policy exception to the employment at will doctrine. For example, Texas does not recognize this exception. But, many do. For that reason, employers should be careful to understand that simply because the relevant statute governing employee gun rights does not provide for a cause of action, that does not mean such a claim is foreclosed.