Uber bans firearms for riders and drivers

 The ride sharing app Uber is banning its riders and drivers from carrying guns. \"We have adopted a no-firearms policy to ensure people are safe and comfortable using Uber.  We made this policy change after assessing our existing policies and reviewing recent feedback from both riders and drivers,\" an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to CBS 58.


According to the legal section of Uber's website, they said that Uber seeks to ensure that everyone using the Uber digital platform—both driver-partners and riders—feels safe and comfortable using the service. During a ride arranged through the Uber platform, Uber and its affiliates therefore prohibit possessing firearms of any kind in a vehicle. Any rider or driver found to have violated this prohibition may lose access to the Uber platform.


Nik Clark, Wisconsin Carry Inc., said he has two issues with enforcing Uber's new policy.


The first being state law,  which says employers can't stop employees from carrying a gun in their car.


The law exactly reads under 2011 WISCONSIN ACT 3 in Section 15m:


(b) An employer may not prohibit a licensee or an out-of-state licensee, as a condition of employment, from carrying a concealed weapon, a particular type of concealed weapon, or ammunition or from storing a weapon, a particular type of weapon, or ammunition in the licensee's or out-of-state licensee's own motor vehicle, regardless of whether the motor vehicle is used in the course of employment or whether the motor vehicle is driven or parked on property used by the employer.


In most cases Uber drivers are using their own vehicles and the company considers the drivers \"independent contractors.\"


However, The California Labor Commission ruled Uber a driver is an employee.


Uber explained that the ruling is non-binding and only applies to the driver who that initiated the claim.


Clark also wonders, how will customers or drivers ever know if the other one is carrying a gun?


Uber's competitor Lyft has a no weapons policy. 


Lyft's policy reads:


\"To keep our entire community comfortable, Lyft has a strict \"No Weapons\" policy. This means that if any driver or passenger possesses a weapon in a Lyft vehicle, regardless of whether possession is legal where they are, they will be removed from the platform.We approach this issue from a community perspective — it's hard to know what someone else is or isn't comfortable with. The mere presence of a weapon might make another community member distressed. Lyft reserves sole judgement on what constitutes a \"weapon\".\"


Wisconsin recently set up regulations for online ride sharing services like Uber.