“I have an issue with thugs. I want to make sure my family and my employees are protected.”

That's Lance Toland, a Georgia insurance executive who has outfitted all 12 of his employees with a handgun. And not just any handgun. Toland's workers are packing the Judge, which fires either a .45-caliber slug or a .410 shotgun shell.

"It's a hand cannon," says Toland.

He told his workers that if they'd take firearms training and obtain a Georgia carry permit, he'd supply all of them with guns. They did, and he did, and now Toland's offices in Atlanta, Griffin and St. Simons Island are armed and ready.

Can an employer require that his workers be armed at the office?

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com