Photo credit: AI-generated image created using ChatGPT. Illustrative only
A deli shift at a big-box store doesn’t usually end with handcuffs and a termination talk, but that’s what one employee says happened to him while working at Target. In a firsthand account shared in the original post, the worker described being called into a supervisor’s office under the pretense of discussing his schedule—then getting grabbed by multiple officers and questioned about a weapon.
He says he was legally carrying a SIG P365 under his concealed carry permit, and that he wasn’t openly displaying it or “printing.” But a rumor that he had a permit was enough to set the whole thing in motion, and it ended with him being fired that same day for violating company policy.
A routine “schedule talk” turned into an ambush
According to the employee, the day started normal enough. He was working the deli when a supervisor asked him to come back to the office to talk about scheduling.
While walking through the office area, he says the supervisor asked him to spell his name. Then, without warning, “3–5 cops grabbed me cuffed me and asked if I had a weapon.” That kind of surprise contact is jarring no matter who you are, and it’s the kind of moment where things can go sideways fast if everyone isn’t calm and professional.
He disclosed the pistol and pointed out his permit and ID
The employee says that when officers asked if he had a weapon, he answered yes. He also said he had a SIG P365 on him, and directed officers to his concealed carry license and identification in his wallet.
In his telling, he was cooperative, and he didn’t try to argue on the spot about the legality of carrying. This is one of those real-world reminders that “legal” and “allowed” aren’t always the same thing—especially on private property and at work.
The store called police over the permit rumor, not because the gun was seen
The part that stuck in the employee’s craw wasn’t just the termination—it was why law enforcement got involved in the first place. He wrote that he knew he wasn’t printing, and that the store manager told him, “we called the cops because we where told you have a ccw permit.”
Read that again. In his account, the trigger wasn’t a visible gun, brandishing, or a scary moment at the deli counter. It was the idea that he had a permit and might be armed. In a lot of workplaces, that’s all it takes to flip a switch from “employee” to “security issue,” even if nothing unlawful happened.
Fired for violating policy, then sent out the door with his gun returned
After being detained in the office, the employee says he was fired because he violated Target’s weapons policy. He didn’t try to deny that point. “I was violating the weapons policy I own that and am not ashamed,” he wrote.
He also said the officers returned his firearm to him and he left. That detail matters: in his version of events, this wasn’t an arrest, and it wasn’t a criminal case. It was a company policy issue that got handled with a law enforcement response—one that included handcuffs.
What gun owners took from it: policies, privacy, and keeping work life separate
The employee’s short summary at the end said it plainly: “Target calls the cops to handcuff and search employees for having a CCW permit.” Whether you agree with that framing or not, there are a few practical lessons in it for anyone who carries and also punches a clock.
First, workplace policies are often stricter than state law. You can be 100% legal under your permit and still be 100% fired for having a gun where the employer says you can’t. Second, don’t assume “concealed means secret.” If a coworker thinks you carry—because you mentioned it, because they saw a belt clip, because they know you shoot on weekends—that information can move around a workplace faster than you’d believe.
Third, there’s the reality of how management responds. Some places will quietly tell you to take it to your vehicle and never do it again. Other places will treat it like an immediate threat and call law enforcement. If you carry daily, it’s worth knowing which kind of place you’re working in, because your job can hinge on it.
The hardest part of this story is that it didn’t start with a safety incident. By the employee’s account, it started with a rumor about a permit. For folks who carry for personal protection—especially those commuting early, closing late, or traveling through rough parts of town—that’s a tough pill to swallow. But it’s also a clear reminder: when you’re on someone else’s property and on their payroll, “allowed” is written in the employee handbook, not just the statutes.
Like The Avid Outdoorsman’s content? Be sure to follow us.
Here’s more from us:
