Opinion
Charlotte County, FL –-(Ammoland.com)- It is alleged that the Charlotte County, Florida Sheriff’s Department has been illegally holding gun owners’ personal information, according to Florida Carry.
As reported by thegunwriter.com, Florida Carry sent a letter to Attorney General Ashley Moody demanding that she launches a statewide investigation into law enforcement’s “illegal abuse, misuse, and general operation of the FINDER database including the compilation of lists of gun owners, and illegal retention of records.”
Florida Carry is alleging that the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department has committed a felony by unlawfully storing gun owner’s information. According to Florida Statute 790.335, No government agency can “knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms.”
Pawn stores must enter all pawn transactions into the FINDER database. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Bill Prummell, took it upon themselves to data-mine these transactions to investigate the people pawning their firearms.
In the act of pawning, a person seeking a short-term loan puts up an item as collateral for cash. Once the debtor pays off the loan, the pawnshop returns their property. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department has been keeping records of these transactions, including the names of the debtor, the firearm, and serial numbers of the guns.
Florida Carry sees this as a violation of the Sunshine State’s Statute against using this information to create records of firearms owners. The Florida based gun rights organization isn’t the only group that finds this practice disturbing. Matthew Patterson, Director of State and Local Affairs for Gun Owners of America, stands behind Florida Carry and their concerns.
“Gun Owners of America share the concerns brought to light by Florida Carry, Inc. over the blatant mishandling and abuse of this data by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff Bill Prummell, in clear violation of Florida Statute,” Patterson told AmmoLand. “This is not only unlawful and unethical but also demonstrates that law enforcement and other government agencies are more than willing to use data and information on gun owners to make a working registry, even if that means breaking the law themselves.”
“This is a prime example of why Gun Owners of America is against any system that collects and stores information on gun owners, including Universal Background Checks. It is unknown whether other sheriffs’ agencies in Florida are maintaining similar records; however, we at Gun Owners of America stand behind Florida Carry, Inc. in their calls for an investigation into these illegal activities.”
According to Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department’s internal emails, the practice has been going on at least since 2013. In February of this year, Florida Carry provided information to the state about Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department’s violation of the law
In May, the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office reported that they had investigated similar incidents but determined the Sherriff’s Department did not violate the statute. The investigation was carried out by ASA Anthony Kunasek.
Kunasek is the head of the Special Prosecution Unit. Florida Carry reached out to Kunasek and explained what was wrong with his investigation and outlined all violations of the law carried out by the Sheriff’s Department. He reviewed the evidence but refused to change his conclusion.
Florida Carry is now calling on the Attorney General’s Office of Florida to carry out an independent investigation of the abuse of the FINDER database to mine information about Gun Owners. The attorney general has not responded to the demand.
AmmoLand News reached out to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department. They provided AmmoLand with a letter [below] by the investigator who investigated the charge. He states that the emails in question did contain the firearms and the owner’s information, but it was not a list. He called the “retention of these emails of no consequence.”
AmmoLand reached out to the AG’s office but did not receive a response at this time.
Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department, Alleged Illegal List of Gun Owners Letter Response
About John Crump
John is an NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. He is the former CEO of Veritas Firearms, LLC and is the co-host of The Patriot News Podcast which can be found at www.blogtalkradio.com/patriotnews. John has written extensively on the patriot movement, including 3%’ers, Oath Keepers, and Militias. In addition to the Patriot movement, John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and is currently working on a book on leftist deplatforming methods and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, on Facebook at realjohncrump, or at www.crumpy.com.
If a gun control law that calls for confiscation ever passes, corrupt police departments like the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department will be all too happy to enforce it. They’ll already have a database of gun owners too. In an instant they will switch from ostensibly protecting the public, to being agents of an oppressive government. They’re already half way there.
@Mike Ross, How can police/sheriff departments say that they are trying to protect the public when time and again courts have said that the police (to include sheriffs) don’t have to protect the public?
Good to see more and more people waking up to the TRUE purpose of “law enforcement”.
@USA, In a nutshell, LEOs are not guards. The general American theory is that LEOs identify and capture the culprits of any given crime.
If such a department were to exist I suspect the pool of able bodied personnel would dwindle rather quickly should they follow that course of action.
Interesting – while we have been intensely focused (and with good reason) on the federal level gun drama, the left has been quietly working to install their people into local, low-level positions in local government. We will be facing not only battles at the big federal and state levels, but also at the county, city and local levels. Scary.
Time for the supreme court to rule against any and all infringement of gun rights !! And stop pussy footing around !!
Should be scary for THEM. Which of course it is…https://darktriadman.com/2015/12/07/the-death-of-tyrants-and-gun-control/
They will be needing more then bullet proof vests at that point. Bullet proof heads.
i am the one that broke the story on the illegal gun list,i have muchhhhhhhhhhhh more information on this crime,its happening all over florida
You too? I put the bug in their ear about how he’s Forcing Pawn brokers to pay for a count6 license! Prummell is a scumbag.
When the issue of medical pot was up for a vote. He published a piece about how there was no medical use for it. I sent him a letter informing him it was a felony to practice medicine in Florida without a license. Like he F*cking cares?!
Can you reach out to me
When I was growing up Prummel would be out on his ass the next day for illegal activity like this. But it’s 2019, when no one in so called “public service” needs to follow the law.
Ammoland has covered the betrayals in the homeland of Marion Hammer quite in depth, and the state has definitely turned traitor. Not just at the local level, but all the way up.
Sadly Rev, I don’t think the Sunshine State has a lock on that kind of activity. Just look at all the articles about public servants in Mass. NJ, NY, Calif, Wa, Va, Ct….
@Ansel Hazen
I hear you, just noting the flip has been recent there. The difference with NJ, NY, CA, CT…. Each of those pretty much stick to party lines. FL and VA, there have been some claiming to be from our side that have helped the enemies of freedom. That is what should be alarming.
@TR; And here in Maryland the DemocRATic A.G. – mr. frosh is using Marylander’s taxes in suing the President to pass unconstitutional federal laws.
Rev. Too many of those jerk bags have been immigrating here and bring their Fascist attitudes with them! They want to escape the Sh*t They came fro:m and bring it here!
The problem is, unlike Federal Presidential elections , there is no Electoral College to mitigate the mob rule elections at state and local elections. Immigrants, both legal and illegal, are pouring into all the major urban areas so as to control the government of the entire state! If y’all look at the Red/Blue voter distribution maps it’s as obvious as the nose on your face. In all but a very few areas of the country, it’s the crowed masses in the cities who want to get their “free stuff”. These are the leaches that the politicians pursue for votes- and… Read more »
As for Florida the real culprits were the Republican legislatures who let the latest bill out of committee, and it was supported by an AG and signed by a Governor both of whom I would have considered pro-gun until that happened. The current Governor Ron DeSantis stated during the primary debate that he would have vetoed the bill.
Rubio is another one who I would have considered pro-gun a few years ago. JEB Bush did let the FL assault weapons ban sunset.
The fall of state by state to communism used to be called the domino theory.
Still works.
The town I live in is on the Charlotte/ Sarasota count6 line, and I’m very familiar with Prummell! He is no friend to gun owners! Here in Florida we can own class 3 and class 2 weapons but Prummell will not sign off on the transfers because he uses the excuse tha5 they might be used against one of HIS guys! He’s nothing short of a NAZI,
dang, just moved to Port Charlotte myself. Thinking of a suppressor, will he sign off on it or am I wasting my time?
You guys aren’t aware that CLEO signoffs were done away with over 3 years ago? July 2016 to be specific. Look up ATF rule 41P. You’re only required to send an informational copy of the Form 1 or 4 to your CLEO. They don’t “approve” anything anymore.
I thought the CLEO requirements had been removed?
since when does ONE public functionary have to grant his Father May I “permission” for you to enjoy oue of your rights?
Perhaps Florida Carry would be interested in this little titbit as well. Seems your sheriff holds himself above the law, while squashing the peons under it.
Oath of office, anyone? Breaking that oath.. felony perjury. That means, upon indictment/charging, mo more guns, no guns for a sheriff means no more paycheck.
Git ‘im.
That’s because people like this sheriff see themselves as above the law, they are special, and all populace are enemy combatants that are not to be trusted.
Another firearm friendly state infiltrated by the brainwashed. It’s really amazing how fast, and how many states the NWO has taken over in just the last few years. The thing that’s really scary is they are taking over all of the most firearm friendly states many wouldn’t think could be turned into massive concentration camps. I pray you guys down in Florida can come together and take your state back before it’s to late.
PA state police keep a handgun registry in violation of state law and have been for decades but the courts won’t do anything about it. It seems the whole system is corrupt from the top down.
the statute reads in part:
“keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms.”
Sorry, dimbulb, but a stored/retained email is a “record”,as it contains information thatCOULD be accessed at some point in the future.
I hope they press this matter. Stte laws are to be observed.. by EVERYONE. LE don’t get a pass just cuz they gots their tin badges and cute shirts.
I thought it is illegal for government to keep this data. I thought it was made illegal because of the danger of government overreach, because of corrupt government officials denying the freedoms and rights we all enjoy as Americans. Smells like treason to me. When lawmakers, judges and enforcement personnel disavow their oath of office they should be jailed until sentence is carried out. I would that a PUBLIC TARRING AND FEATHERING should also happen before sentence is carried out. Tyranny/treason has a legitimate, legal and warranted price. Until those that disavow their oath of office are legally dealt with… Read more »
Totalitarian government. At 2016 DNC convention, the democrats talked about a public burning of the Constitution.
Why would a totalitarian democrat tyrant NOT keep data?
Makes sense. The nazi’s, the s. s., the gustapo all kept meticulous records on the people they persecuted, tortured and murdered. Why not the demoncraps? Evil is as evil does. Public burning of the constitution? Would not surprise me because the only thing they want for America is to destroy us.
Arm up, carry on.
Exactly.
They need to be charge with the felony and prosecute all these individuals responsible. They should lose some rights and spend some time with one hot, two colds, a cot and ample free time to think about what they did.
That is one reason why I haven’t gotten a concealed carry permit.
IF you want to see a “LISTING of gun owners” come look at the Maryland State Police!!!!!!!!