Re: Open & Campus Carry Bill filed as of Jan 9 at 8:54am
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:29 pm
Made the news today in four separate stories.
Residents across the state have complained for years about errantly fired bullets from home shooting ranges striking them, their family members, belongings or pets. But they already have legal recourse, according to Luis Valdes, Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America.
Speaking to the panel Tuesday, Valdes pointed to Florida's "deadly missile" statute, which provides that any person who "wantonly or maliciously" shoots into a building, vehicle or aircraft is guilty of a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
"We already have laws on the books," he said. "Adding more to it and simply outlawing the ability for people who use their property in a safe and responsible manner is a violation of our rights."
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/65 ... nate-stop/
But Second Amendment supporters insisted that it was unfair to penalize young people from being able to purchase a gun when they're allowed to perform other duties that require maturity.
"Floridians under the age of 21 can be law enforcement officers at 19," said Luis Valdes with Gun Owners of America. "They can enlist in the military. They can even run for offices as lawmakers to make laws. The fact that the state has determined they don't have the mental capacity to own a firearm is ludicrous, when we entrust them with the very authority to carry a firearm and enforce that very law."
https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/30/p ... a-firearm/
It should be noted, however, that there are some bills that would expand the rights of gun owners in Florida that have also stalled in the first part of the 2024 Florida legislative session.
One is a bill (HB 1619) by Hillsborough County Republican Rep. Mike Beltran that would allow people to openly carry firearms in Florida. The measure would also allow lawmakers to carry concealed guns to legislative meetings and in the state Capitol building. House and Senate GOP leaders have not shown any enthusiasm about scheduling the bill, but Second Amendment groups are pressing Gov. Ron DeSantis to back what is known simply as "open carry."
The state chapter of Gun Owners of America sent an email to its followers this week, calling on them to press DeSantis to endorse the proposal.
"Florida's gun owners are not fools and we don't become easily tamed with cheap table scraps thrown our way. We demand a full restoration of our rights," reads a section of the letter penned by Luis Valdes, the Florida state director of Gun Owners of America.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/26/f ... gislature/
Gun rights activists, though, said the bill merely affirms the rights of young adults, who can join the military and become a police officer, to own long guns. "The fact that the state of Florida has determined that they don't have the mental capacity to own a firearm is ludicrous," said Luis Valdes, Florida state director of Gun Owners of America.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/65 ... use-panel/
Residents across the state have complained for years about errantly fired bullets from home shooting ranges striking them, their family members, belongings or pets. But they already have legal recourse, according to Luis Valdes, Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America.
Speaking to the panel Tuesday, Valdes pointed to Florida's "deadly missile" statute, which provides that any person who "wantonly or maliciously" shoots into a building, vehicle or aircraft is guilty of a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
"We already have laws on the books," he said. "Adding more to it and simply outlawing the ability for people who use their property in a safe and responsible manner is a violation of our rights."
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/65 ... nate-stop/
But Second Amendment supporters insisted that it was unfair to penalize young people from being able to purchase a gun when they're allowed to perform other duties that require maturity.
"Floridians under the age of 21 can be law enforcement officers at 19," said Luis Valdes with Gun Owners of America. "They can enlist in the military. They can even run for offices as lawmakers to make laws. The fact that the state has determined they don't have the mental capacity to own a firearm is ludicrous, when we entrust them with the very authority to carry a firearm and enforce that very law."
https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/30/p ... a-firearm/
It should be noted, however, that there are some bills that would expand the rights of gun owners in Florida that have also stalled in the first part of the 2024 Florida legislative session.
One is a bill (HB 1619) by Hillsborough County Republican Rep. Mike Beltran that would allow people to openly carry firearms in Florida. The measure would also allow lawmakers to carry concealed guns to legislative meetings and in the state Capitol building. House and Senate GOP leaders have not shown any enthusiasm about scheduling the bill, but Second Amendment groups are pressing Gov. Ron DeSantis to back what is known simply as "open carry."
The state chapter of Gun Owners of America sent an email to its followers this week, calling on them to press DeSantis to endorse the proposal.
"Florida's gun owners are not fools and we don't become easily tamed with cheap table scraps thrown our way. We demand a full restoration of our rights," reads a section of the letter penned by Luis Valdes, the Florida state director of Gun Owners of America.
https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/26/f ... gislature/
Gun rights activists, though, said the bill merely affirms the rights of young adults, who can join the military and become a police officer, to own long guns. "The fact that the state of Florida has determined that they don't have the mental capacity to own a firearm is ludicrous," said Luis Valdes, Florida state director of Gun Owners of America.
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/65 ... use-panel/