Response to CPA Firm Policy on Illinois Concealed Carry Law

Last week’s post regarding Illinois’ new concealed-carry law ignited an unintended firestorm of reaction.

We shared the results of a poll of 20 Illinois CPA firms as to how they will respond to the new requirements. The most common action taken by respondents electing to ban concealed weapons on firm premises was to place a no-guns-allowed sign in their lobbies and/or include a statement in their employee handbooks prohibiting weapons in the office.

My remarks elicited more responses by far than anything we’ve written in the three year history of our blog. Some came in the form of emails sent directly to me; other responses were “on the record”  and are published on our blog verbatim.

To say I was a bit naive would be an understatement.  This is clearly a much more divisive topic than I realized.

Though some of you applauded the sentiments expressed, the majority of you took me to task. Some of you were personally affronted. Others cautioned that a sign in the lobby advertises the presence of a “soft target” to potential assailants.  One private reply indicated this was an inappropriate subject for comment from a management consultant. Maybe he’s right.

But comment I did, and criticism poured in from all over the U.S.A.  So what’s the upside?

The good news is that differences of opinion were openly aired, in a respectful, civilized dialogue, not swept under the rug to create lumps. This is exactly the kind of exchange that is critical to resolving conflict at firms where seething partners often find themselves at odds, avoiding confrontation, unable to compromise, dragging down both the firm’s morale and productivity in the process.

This is exactly what I’ve been preaching all these years:  Communicate. Have your say. Then find a way to overcome the stumbling block and move on.  Whether the disagreement is about partner compensation, non-standard work papers or yes, hanging that “gun-free zone” sign in the lobby, it won’t be resolved by keeping it under wraps.

So I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to respond to our blog.