Florida Shooters Network

Despite a supermajority in the Legislature, Florida is the worst Republican controlled state in the nation for Second Amendment rights. It remains the only red state with an under-21 purchase and concealed carry ban, a mandatory waiting period, red flag laws, numerous gun-free zones, and a blanket ban on open carry. Furthermore, many in Republican leadership are quite open about their anti-gun points of view.

Some will immediately push back and argue lawmakers just passed “Constitutional Carry,” but anyone who knows a single thing about the legislation would confirm how watered down the bill was. It’s wholly inaccurate to refer to the law as “Constitutional Carry” when it failed to also lift the complete ban on the open carry of firearms, which leaves Floridians in the very small, and very liberal company of California, Illinois, and New York where this is also the case.

Those who know the ins and outs of lawmaking in Tallahassee know that Republican lawmakers have been merely throwing gun owners cheap table-scraps, while at the same time, they’re seriously considering further restrictions on Second Amendment rights. Don’t just take this author’s word for it. Instead, consider the fact that there’s a legitimate chance an expansion of red flag laws is passed this coming session; SB-394.

That’s right, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R-Spring Hill) and Rep. John Paul Temple (R-Wildwood) are pushing their version of this legislation right now for passage this session. To refresh, red flag laws empower a judge to issue firearm confiscation orders to law enforcement, without the accused being given the right to due process, as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.

Instead of addressing the issue of managing potentially dangerous persons intent on doing harm, this bill allows the government to violate the right of due process while still permitting those potentially dangerous individuals to freely wander the streets. Just taking guns away because partisan anti-gun advocates say it will keep us safe ignores the real threat to society.

If lawmakers actually wanted to address the real issue, they should have introduced a bill to expand public funding for mental health treatment and make it more accessible to Florida’s students and public employees under their benefits.

As a former state law enforcement officer, this author can attest to the fact that state employee healthcare benefits are woefully underfunded. Pushing for expanded mental healthcare access so students, teachers and school staff, and other public employees have the resource available to them is the right approach. Just choosing to red flag someone and placing a political scarlet letter on their personnel file and public life is bad policy, and as already mentioned, unconstitutional.

Sadly, instead of getting their act together, it appears likely that Republican lawmakers will continue to follow the tried-and-true pattern of so many politicians: campaign on something, but then fail to act on it once in office, or worse, do something that runs entirely counter to one’s commitments.

In Florida, that’s already manifested when Republicans blocked the repeal of gun-free zones, the passage of open carry, the repeal of the under-21 purchase and carry ban, and even got caught throwing pro-gun petitions in the trash. Most damningly, Republicans lawmakers are even defending gun control that Democrats put in place at the urging of then Dade County Prosecutor Janet Reno in the late 1980s!

Republican leaders in Tallahassee will inevitably push back and highlight their “wins” on this issue, but those who pay close attention can see clear as day through that noise. Florida is failing to make the progress necessary to put its citizens on a level plane with those in neighboring Georgia and Alabama.

Gov. DeSantis is perhaps the best ally to gun owners in state leadership right now — he supported open carry and opposes red flag laws. One can only hope that he will not falter and wander down the path of pushing feel-good legislation that merely sweeps things under a rug, as his Republican colleagues in the Legislature have repeatedly done. In the meantime, pro-gun voters need to start paying closer attention.

Luis Valdes is the Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America, a “no-compromise” grassroots lobbying organization representing over two million members nationwide.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/01 ... amendment/

WUCF/PBS Interview also on the subject.

Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America, Luis Valdes speaks with NewsNight about the republican-backed bills would give law enforcement a deadline of three business days - the waiting period on gun purchases in Florida - to complete background checks. another would eliminate the three-day waiting period for those buying firearms but keep it in place for handguns, rolling back one of the laws passed after the parkland school shooting.

NewsNight is WUCF-TV/PBS weekly news series. This is their first episode for January 2024 and they look ahead to the coming Florida state legislative session as lawmakers prepare to tackle issues like background checks for gun purchases.

During their segment on gun rights, they flat out say that Gun Owners of America is the "no compromise" gun right org and that we're not happy with the Republican lead legislature and their lackluster passage of watered-down gun bills.

PBS said it best about GOA:

"Gun Owners of America, they promote themselves as no compromise, free rights, that's it."

This is why primaries matter. We need people with strong 2A credentials to be selected long before they end up in a General Election. For too long, just having an "R" and a smile was good enough. Once they get to Tallahassee, they just vote how the FRF, FCoC, and Sugar say to. Florida should be the most 2A friendly state in the country.

George W wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:17 am This is why primaries matter. We need people with strong 2A credentials to be selected long before they end up in a General Election. For too long, just having an "R" and a smile was good enough. Once they get to Tallahassee, they just vote how the FRF, FCoC, and Sugar say to. Florida should be the most 2A friendly state in the country.

Florida’s situation is particular.... Republicans have an outright supermajority and don't fear anything. Their entire strategy is to be slightly less crappy than Democrats. Their entire mindset to the voting population is "what are you going to do? Vote Democrat? LOL, we know you won't."

1/4 of the entire Republican Legislature runs unopposed for their seats. The Democrats don't even field candidates in those districts. The RPOF has a stranglehold on elections and smother any primary challenger. In fact, the RPOF has selected and groomed candidates picked ahead of time and ready to replace the term-limited incumbent Republicans long before those incumbents are even term-limited.

Florida is a one party state and because of that, Republicans don't have to produce much since there is no fear of Democrats usurping their seats and power. They have no reason to continue to actually work since the Democrats can't out legislate them. Democrats truly have no power, whatsoever in Florida.

As such, running anyone against 'em in a primary is a fool's errand for the most part. Sure, I back candidates that do it. But it is VERY HARD to beat an incumbent Republican when they have the full backing of the party and the legislature.

I'll repeat:

A blended "average" Florida GOP voter is not the same as an Oklahoma or Alabama or Iowa or [choose from many states] blended "average" GOP voter. WAY too many relocated Yankee Fudd RINOs here. They decide just enough GOP legislative races to prevent real change on 2A issues. This is a big problem, and it has gotten worse in the last 5 years.

tector wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 7:48 pm I'll repeat:

A blended "average" Florida GOP voter is not the same as an Oklahoma or Alabama or Iowa or [choose from many states] blended "average" GOP voter. WAY too many relocated Yankee Fudd RINOs here. They decide just enough GOP legislative races to prevent real change on 2A issues. This is a big problem, and it has gotten worse in the last 5 years.

Five years ago, the watered-down permitless concealed-only carry wouldn't even fly. You're quite mistaken on your approach and mindset. Every year that ticks forward and every time we raise the issue. They buckle.

Hell, it was six years ago that they bummed rush the Parkland bill.

The key is airing their dirty laundry and destroying them in the court if public opinion. I've been doing that for the last couple years and I sure ain't gonna stop.

Tell me about it later this spring. Notably, the Parkland bill hasn't been undone, either, despite the favorably changed atmosphere you claim. It only takes a bare majority vote--so where is it?

"Permitless" concealed was an effectively worthless bone thrown to us. Almost all "serious" gun owners are still going to get a permit for a variety reasons we've previously discussed: reciprocity, lack of waiting period, maybe a favorable presumption you get from LE on scene in a shoot (it does nothing for you in court, of course). But for somebody like my wife, who has a CWP but never ever carries, it's fine. She's effectively a Fudd herself. She's happy she now doesn't have to pay or apply in case she MIGHT want to ever carry (like maybe after a hurricane). YAY US!!! WHAT A MIGHTY VICTORY!!

I like DeSantis, a lot, but if he was truly serious about getting something done on 2A issues he'd call a special session on the subject if the Florida Legislature fails to act--hold their feet to fire. But he hasn't, and probably won't, since he doesn't want to take an embarrassing L.

tector wrote: ↑Mon Jan 08, 2024 12:37 am Tell me about it later this spring. Notably, the Parkland bill hasn't been undone, either, despite the favorably changed atmosphere you claim. It only takes a bare majority vote--so where is it?

"Permitless" concealed was an effectively worthless bone thrown to us. Almost all "serious" gun owners are still going to get a permit for a variety reasons we've previously discussed: reciprocity, lack of waiting period, maybe a favorable presumption you get from LE on scene in a shoot (it does nothing for you in court, of course). But for somebody like my wife, who has a CWP but never ever carries, it's fine. She's effectively a Fudd herself. She's happy she now doesn't have to pay or apply in case she MIGHT want to ever carry (like maybe after a hurricane). YAY US!!! WHAT A MIGHTY VICTORY!!

I like DeSantis, a lot, but if he was truly serious about getting something done on 2A issues he'd call a special session on the subject if the Florida Legislature fails to act--hold their feet to fire. But he hasn't, and probably won't, since he doesn't want to take an embarrassing L.

Parkland will not be undone as long as lawmakers who voted for it are still there. Passidomo is a huge supporter of it, as Senate President, do you think she'll let any of it be undone? Nope.

Therr is a lot of internal changes that need to happen and that takes time and effort.

I'll ask you this, when are you showing up to the Capitol to effect change? I don't recall seeing you there these past few sessions.

As for DeSantis, he's a wimp and the Legislature holds all the power. He looked good for his presidential campaign because the legislature passed bills that made him look good. Now they're bailing on him since they got what they want.

We have phrased it in different ways, but it seems we agree there will be no special session on gun issues.

Outside of that, we'll get the usual regular session shuffle because the Usual Suspects are still up there, as you note. Until that changes, physically going to Tallahassee is jerking off--they just don't care. Now, jerking off can be fun (I seem to distantly recall such), but from here it would a 2-3 day adventure, at least one (if not two) nights in a hotel, plus maybe $125 in gas. For that amount of money I can get somebody else to jerk me off, and then some. If I lived nearby, that might be different. I used to go to the Lakeland gun show when it was good, driving from here (one time got to listen to Charlie Crist running for governor, as a Republican). Now those shows really aren't that good so I don't drive for them. But if I lived nearby it might still be worth my while. Same for going to Tally, where you at least get to meet like-minded people. So if you want to go from the Big Bend to Tally, good for you. From Broward, with the same old clowns waiting up there, no thanks.

Having said all that,I have seen no evidence whatsoever that physically going to Tally does anything meaningful (as I said, I don't consider permitless carry meaningful), and find it childishly romantic to believe otherwise. I think people in GOP-leaning leaning legislative districts would be better off spending their time trying to get true pro-2A advocates locally FIRST, if that is even possible. Those of us in hopelessly liberal hellholes shouldn't even bother wasting our time on that, but might want to spend our money helping in those areas where it might matter (which I do).