Florida Open Carry Bill in Senate Judiciary Committee Jan 10th

Constitutional Carry Open Carry
Constitutional Carry Open Carry
Florida Carry, Inc.
Florida Carry, Inc.

Florida-(Ammoland.com)- The first, and arguably the most important pro-Second Amendment rights bill of the 2017 legislative session is about to be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 10th at 2 pm.

Florida Carry urges you to contact committee members to tell them you want their support for this crucial bill.

Senator Steube’s bill regains some of the ground lost since shall-issue became lawful in 1987.

  1. Open Carry – The legislature took this away in 1987 after the fear-mongering of Janet Reno and a complicit media whined loud enough. In a special session called for budgetary issues, without debate or public discussion, the legislature replaced the Right to bear arms with a license to conceal handguns and other non-firearm defensive weapons. The right to choose the appropriate method of carry was taken from you. This has resulted in the arrest of scores of law-abiding licensees, whose only crime was their handgun became visible. Law enforcement presumes any visible firearm is unlawful, and regardless of those exceptions in FS 790.25(3), can and has arrested licensees, sometimes so forcefully that permanent injury has been sustained by the carrier. An exception for “brief exposure” added in 2011 has been ineffective at stopping the harassment, arrest, and prosecution of gun owners. Even hiking in the predator-filled Everglades with a visible firearm has been used as grounds for arrest and prosecution. Open carry is lawful in 45 states, 30 of which respect the Right to Bear Arms by not requiring a license. NONE of the suggested carnage of the anti-Second Amendment lobby has occurred on those states.

    Florida's Current Open Carry Ban
    Florida’s Current Open Carry Ban
  2. Campus Carry – The bill removes the prohibition against licensee carry at schools, including K-12, Career Center, and College education facilities. (a “Career Center” is commonly known as a Technical College or Trade School) Even mere seconds awaiting armed response potentially means lives lost. In the overwhelming number of cases, school attackers have immediately surrendered or committed suicide upon arrival of an armed opponent. To date, no school shooting attack has been committed by a licensed student or parent in any state.

    To date, no school shooting attack has been committed by a licensed student or parent in any state.
    To date, no school shooting attack has been committed by a licensed student or parent in any state.
  3. Airport Carry – The bill removes the prohibition against licensee carry inside the passenger terminal of an airport, a condition which citizens in 44 states enjoy. There were 633 violent crimes at Orlando International Airport last year. Current law forces a licensee to leave his firearm in his vehicle, vulnerable to theft, and traverse frequently dimly lit parking garages unarmed simply to help family with their baggage. It DOES NOT allow licensees to carry past TSA checkpoints or onto airliners.

    Current law forces a licensee to leave his firearm in his vehicle, vulnerable to theft, and traverse frequently dimly lit parking garages unarmed simply to help family with their baggage.
    Current law forces a licensee to leave his firearm in his vehicle, vulnerable to theft, and traverse frequently dimly lit parking garages unarmed simply to help family with their baggage.
  4. Government meetings – Current law prohibits licensed carry at meetings of state and local government. Even at the state capitol, licensees are allowed to carry in the halls and offices of the Legislature, but are forbidden from walking through a door into a Legislative meeting. Once again, law enforcement officers, who are six times more likely to commit a crime, are welcome. The bill removes this prohibition.

FLORIDA CARRY ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORTS THIS GOOD BILL!

An important note on contacting your legislators:

We cannot stress enough the necessity of telling legislators how you feel they should vote. During the legislative sessions, we issue Action Alerts asking our members and supporters to take a few moments to contact legislators. Email addresses, subject line, and sample body are all included in these alerts to allow cut and paste into your email client.

Please take the few seconds it takes to send an email when you receive an Action Alert from Florida Carry. The failure or success of a bill can hinge on that simple act.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke

Please, take a few moments to ask the committee members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support SB 140.

Remember that whether you contact the committee members either by email or by phone, to be courteous and respectful above all else. Be sure to keep your message brief, and thank them for their time.

In the subject line put: SUPPORT SB 140 – Support the Right to Bear Arms

(Copy and Paste All email addresses into the “Send To” box)

[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected];
[email protected]

Sample Body:

Dear Senator,

The Florida Concealed Weapons/Firearms License holder is statistically over six times more law-abiding than FL law enforcement officers. Unlike those officers however, we are afforded no qualified immunity or “professional courtesy” to keep our incidents of law violation so low. We are also acutely aware of the potential liability associated with the carry of a defensive weapon. During the 25 years in which the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services tracked license revocations due to a crime involving a firearm, a statistically insignificant 6/1000ths of 1 percent were revoked for that reason. So insignificant was this number when compared with over 2 million licenses issued during the period, the division stopped counting in 2012. It is simply unacceptable to continue to subject this state-vetted group to be unnecessary victims of violent crime in so-called “gun free zones” where criminals know that their victims will be unarmed.

Florida’s Ban on Open Carry is also long overdue for repeal, Illinois, New York and California style gun control should have no place in Florida Law. Yet we remain one of only 5 states in the nation that ban the Open Carry of defensive handguns.

Florida used to be a National Leader on the Right to Bear Arms. We have fallen behind to become, in many ways, one of the most anti-Second Amendment States in our great Nation.

Please support SB 140.

Respectfully,

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Florida self-defense laws are under unprecedented attack. Florida Carry is fighting back hard in local government, the courts, and the state legislature but cash and volunteer action is necessary to support this important work. Please donate or Join Today.

About Florida Carry:

Florida Carry, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental rights of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 2 and 8 of the Florida Constitution. Florida Carry stands to represent our supporters, members, and millions of defensive arms owners of Florida. We are not beholden to any national organization’s agenda that may compromise that mission.

Florida Carry works tirelessly toward striking down ill-conceived gun and weapons control laws that have been proven to provide safe havens to criminals and be deadly to law-abiding citizens.

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Ralph Nichols

Ok it’s March, when are we going to become an
Open carry state ? This sucks ! that we are still not open carry !

Mike rickey

I am totally against open carry. Especially at a church. A bible in one hand and a gun on a hip. Guns around church children? What has America come to? Pastors in Florida wake up. Visitors w guns? Youth directors w a gun? Shootouts in the parking lot? Pastors w a gun? What would Jesus do? Hopefully not strap one on!

Rick

It’s the right if the property owner to decide and not anyone else. No matter what bill is or isn’t passed it’s still the right of any business including churches to allow or not allow open or concealed carry on the premises. Btw.. I promise you the better part of 30% of people in your church are already carrying you just don’t know it.

Wayne

I agree, there are more conceled carry guns around than most people think, and I am glad. I was out of state in Tennessee I believe when a young man had a side arm , came in the store, I asked if open carry, he said yes, didn’t bother me at all, I knew he was a good guy.

Elkman

I have been dressing myself for many years. I wear any color shirt I like at the time. Same thing with pants and shoes. It’s my choice! I should be able to wear my gun in anyway I want. I don’t need anymore gun laws. Why do YOU the Government keep wanting to keep me in diapers? DRAIN THE SWAMP!

Rod

I like many others believe the choice of “method of carry” should be restored for legal license holders. I also believe that very few public locations should restrict carry for people with legal gun carry licenses. Restrictions like this creates venues for crime and gives the criminals another advantage. Please vote yes for HB:140.

Bill Edwards

I believe that The open carry law. HB 140
Should be voted as a yes to carry. For all.Licensed Concealed. weapons. holders. There have been too.many Innocent People liked In Florida .
Especially in the Miami gardens,Liberty city and Sw Miami,Home stead Florida Areas. So.repeal.The Open.carry Law Of 1987..However there should be Additional.Police Officers assigned. To.The Baggage claim areas of Airports to prevent what happened.Friday. January 6, 2017.

Sara Todd

You can not pass SB-140. This is absurd. I have everyone of your email addresses and I am going to publish them in the Naples and Ft. Myers paper for all to see. You care more about the NRA than you do the people of Florida. You will never get re-elected. Two police officers were killed in Orlando this morning. We have not forgotten Orlando, but you must have. A poll shows that 8 out of 10 people in Florida want gun control, not more guns on the street. The people in this state are going to start fighting back.… Read more »

Wild Bill

@ Sara Todd, Who is the “You …” that you are trying to extort? And how could anything be anything be”… because of Trump…” as he is not even President, yet? Why is the drive by shooting situation that you refer to not Obama’s fault. Obama has been in charge for the last eight years and still is!

Jeremy Denslinger

LMFAO you just named three of the most ghetto areas of Lee county that have been notoriously bad with violence, shootings, drive-bys, drug dealing, armed robbery, breaking and entering – AND HAS BEEN FOR AT LEAST 20 years, and you’re going to blame Mr President? You’ve got to be off your rocker. People who do these things don’t buy guns legally, either. They are breaking the law, and have been. I don’t know what kind of twisted thought process you have, but you seriously need to learn some real life things. Like, CRIMINALS DO NOT ABIDE BY LAWS. Please go… Read more »

Sara Todd

I am going to have everyone I know call each one of you. You people will never get our votes again. This is absurd! How can you do this in Florida? This is such a diverse state. In LeHigh Acres since Trump was elected there are drive by shootings almost everyday. You are just making this easier. Have you not learned anything from Orlando and now Ft. Lauerdale? I am disgusted with the Republicans in this state and it is time we paid attention and took this state out of your hands!

Roger

Are you really that stupid this only pertains to people that already have a concealed weapons permit anyway. This bill does not allow everyone to carry only people that have a concealed weapons permit will be able to Will be able to carry a concealed or open. So your remarks about drive-by shootings is is not relevant. The people already have a gun this bill just allows them to carry a concealed or not. What it idiot you are.

Ron

It is all about the money. Our legislative branch is huge beyond comprehension, purely money driven, and corrupt through and through. It must, and will be dismantled…either at the ballot box or by force. Grandma was correct…stupid hurts.

JOSEPH LIMOGES

OPEN CARRY IS THE ONLY WAY THAT A COP CAN NOT SAY THAT YOU ARE BRANISHING A WEAPON,,,,,WHAT IF YOU DROP YOUR KEYS AND YOUR GLOCK 19 SHOWS BY ACCIDENT WHEN YOU GO PICK UP YOUR KEYS AND YOU GET POLICE OFFICER WANTS TO BE ASS HOLE,,,,YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR BRANISHING A WEAPON,,,YOU CAN BE ARRESTED AND HE TELLS YOU TELL IT TO THE JUDGE,,,,,EVEN IF THE CHARGES ARE DROPPED YOU WENT JAIL,JAIL.JAIL

Jim S

I do not understand the thinking of our LEO’s that insist on busting the good guys. They know they can issue a warning to the person who displayed accidentally or briefly, but they are choosing to harass and detain law abiding citizens.
I do not understand this view.

Jeffersonian

“I do not understand this view.”

That’s because you’re *not* a sadistic thug who enjoys hurting people.

subguy

the LEO’s are probably being instructed by higher-ups. There are sometimes persons who think that this kind of activity will garner them favor with superiors or media in order to further an agenda or promote their standing in their particular job or political party.