Legal Question in Employment Law in California

In general, unless an employee is civil service, in a union, or has a written employment contract, they are an 'at will' employee that can be disciplined or terminated any time for any reason, with or without �cause�, explanation or notice. However, IF you report potential illegal conduct to law enforcement or company mgmt, you MAY be protected by the whistleblower law from retaliation. Just have a so called 'assault rifle' is NOT likely illegal, but may violate company policy, and the quoted statement is at best a 'grey area' as to whether it is a joke or threat, or some other policy violation. I will freely admit it was certainly unwise of any gun owner to joke about violence.