ANDREW SELSKY

Associated Press

Oregon officials have banned state employees from carrying weapons in the workplace unless they're needed for their jobs. The move caused consternation Thursday among Republican leaders in the Legislature.

The Oregon Department of Administrative Services said it imposed the ban, which became effective on Jan. 6, in hopes of "providing a safe and secure environment for employees and visitors."

Banned are firearms, daggers, slingshots, and a host of other specified weapons. Oddly, even knobkerries were mentioned. Knobkerries are clubs used by indigenous people like the Zulus in southern Africa, and are probably unknown to most Oregonians.

House Republican leader Mike McLane said Thursday the order was tantamount to limiting employees' right to self-defense. In a statement, McLane said he would ask Gov. Kate Brown where the authority for the new rules comes from.

"I am extremely concerned to learn that our state government has taken steps that limit employees' right to self-defense and believe that these actions may violate the Oregon Constitution," McLane said in a statement. "I will be asking Gov. Brown's office to explain where they believe their power to take such actions is derived from and, if necessary, take swift action to restore the rights of Oregonians as soon as possible."

Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli, of John Day, expressed concern for the safety of state employees.

"The governor's administration has no business confiscating self-defense rights from public servants, volunteers and others, who have committed themselves to serving our state," Ferrioli said in a prepared statement. "Oregonians should be outraged that public servants are now endangered due to a seemingly political agenda at the cost of safety."

The order does not appear to apply to lawmakers.

It became an issue in Oregon on the same day that a lawmaker in New Hampshire dropped her loaded gun on the floor of the Statehouse near some children. It didn't go off. Rep. Carolyn Halstead, a Republican, said the gun fell from her waistband after her backpack caught on it as she took the backpack off.

Amended rules for state workers | Employment | Government Information