Uber Safety
Recently, an Uber driver was held up at gunpoint by a passenger he picked up. The passenger asked the driver to stop several blocks before the location requested when hiring the Uber. The driver, Clayton Lacniak recounts the events.
"He got in my face, he opened up my center console," Lacniak explained. "… He got that $100, and then he… saw my gun case on the floor and he said, ‘I want that s--t. Give me that f---ing gun.’ So I went and opened the case and I handed him the gun and magazine to him and he opened my door and ran off."
After filing a police report, Lacniak called Uber. After two years of service, he was told he violated Uber’s gun policy. Uber removed his driver profile once they found he violated their policy. For background, Lacniak drives a truck, obviously with no trunk, so he felt the floor was the next best option. Uber has also banned the rider.
Uber prohibits riders and their guests, as well as driver and delivery partners, from carrying firearms of any kind while using the app, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
Please note that the only situation where we would allow a firearm while using the app is if you are transporting your firearm in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration rules for transporting firearms and ammunition. That means your firearm must be unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container in the trunk of the vehicle. All parts, including magazines, clips, ammunition, and bolts and firing pins must also be transported in the trunk of the vehicle.
Failure to comply with this policy may lead to account deactivation.
So, here’s the question, with the amount of violence against Uber/Lyft drivers on the rise, how do these drivers protect themselves? This is their livelihood. This is how they feed their families, pay their rent, mortgage, bills! How do they protect themselves if they can’t carry a gun in their car?
As more states move to constitutional carry, where does this leave Uber drivers?
In Nevada, a highly populated are for Uber/Lyft drivers, especially Las Vegas, gun laws state...
Anyone carrying a concealed gun in a car needs a current and valid permit for carrying concealed weapons (CCW). But people do not need a concealed carry permit to keep their loaded handguns out of plain view somewhere in the car, such as the glove box, trunk, center console, cup holder, under the seat, or under a blanket on the backseat or passenger seat.
If the gun is hidden in a purse, backpack, bag, or piece of luggage, a person does not need a CCW permit to keep it in the car. But if the person carries the purse, etc., then a CCW permit is required. Under Nevada law, a car is not considered an extension of the home like it is in some other states.
The legality of carrying a gun in your car varies state to state, but the right to bare arms is a federal right. The ability to protect yourself and your possessions is fundamental.
The driver in the story, the one that was working hard to pay his bills, earn a living, was later reinstated as a driver, after he sought legal action. Meanwhile the criminal that robbed him is on the loose with another gun.
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Uber’s policy? How does Uber defend their stance against local gun laws?