So my situation is as follows. I work out of state for a major pipeline contractor. I signed a contract that states that the hotels I stay in (i would say live in 8months if the year), since they are paid for by the company, are considered company property. I also travel in a company provided car. Being as I am a couple thousand miles from my home and on my own I carry a firearm in a locked case, inside of my locked suitcase. I travel with my boss.
Recently, I inadvertently got my boss into a lot of trouble for refusing to cover up a major problem he caused and he is taking it personally. He also knows that I travel with a firearm, though he's never personally seen it. He has seen my non descript locked pelican case, however.
I am concerned that he will try to use this as leverage to fire me. My question is how far can a company take a search? I figure they have legal ground to search my suitcases when they are in the company car or maybe even in the hotel room. Do you think they can legally force me to open the locked case? I was planning on shipping it home ASAP to try to stay one step ahead of this but I just learned that my boss's boss is on the way to see us and write my boss up. If my boss is as petty as I think he is he may use this opportunity to report me.