After 291 people were improperly issued concealed carry licenses by a previous administration, Florida’s new Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried vowed to fix the program.
While the NRA initially opposed the new commissioner, the organization now wants to give her a chance.
Both the NRA and Fried are toning down their support for moving the concealed carry licensing program out of the Department of Agriculture.
In a newsletter, former NRA President Marion Hammer said the program should stay put, but called on Fried to focus on fixing "Real problems" with the program, warning 1.9 million license holders will be watching.
In the same interview, Marion Hammer flat out states the following about Nikki Fried's choice as Division of Licensing head boss, Stephen Hurm.“There's nothing wrong with saying that you're going to fix things that are wrong and we suspect that she's going to do that. Trying to fix imaginary problems though, that's another thing,†said Hammer. - WCTV interview
For those that don't know, Stephen Hurm is the husband of former gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham.“We don't expect to see any abuse of power out of him, nor would we expect that he would allow any,†said Hammer. - WCTV Interview
Who is Gwen Graham? Why she's one of Florida's anti gun activists that went so far as to prepare a draft emergency order for gun control and make it her first official act if she won office..
Tallahassee Democrat
FloridaPolitics.com...the NRA endorsed Fried's selection of Hurm to lead the program.
"This guy is a professional, part of a professional family with integrity," said Marion Hammer, the NRA's lobbyist in Tallahassee. "Regardless of how he feels on the issue, I believe he's professional enough to follow the law and the Constitution and not abuse any of those."
Hurm will have Jordan Anderson reporting directly to him as his number two. Who is he? Anderson had worked for Graham's 2014 campaign for Congress and most recently acted as the deputy field director for For Our Future, a left-leaning organization financed by progressive billionaire Tom Steyer. Anderson will serve as assistant director.Marion Hammer, a lobbyist with the National Rifle Association, appears to agree.
The NRA recently came out in support of keeping the program under Fried's purview, despite not being politically aligned with Fried.
Hammer called Hurm a "particularly good choice."
"The law governing the concealed weapons and firearms licensing law is very clear and it specifically denies the agency any regulatory authority so they have to adhere strictly to the law," Hammer wrote. "I would not expect any abusive of authority from [Hurm], nor do I think he would tolerate any."
As for Hurm, he will be directly reporting to Deputy Commissioner Mary Barzee Flores. An Anti-Gun Attorney from Miami that ran a failed Congressional Campaign and was backed by various gun control organizations.
He'll also be working with Fred Guttenberg, who also endorsed Mary Barzee Flores for Congress.
A father of a Parkland victim and huge anti-gun zealot that is a member of Ban Assault Weapons NOW! and Americans for Gun Safety NOW!. Those happen to be the two groups pushing a 2020 Ballot Initiative to amend Florida's Constitution to outlaw semiautomatic long guns and magazines.
Why is Marion Hammer throwing in the towel? Because she has no more political capital. The Florida Legislature as a whole doesn't fear an 80 year old woman. The Democrats introduced a bill (SB 108)to move Florida's CCW program to FDLE, something Nikki Fried wants. No Republican Legislator has introduced a bill to move the program to the Dept. of Financial Services like Marion Hammer wants.
Why? Because they're not afraid of her. The Anti-Gun Republican Senate President and House Speaker aren't afraid of her.
There are no real problems within the CCW Program to fix. We have close to two million permits in existence and out of that, 291 were issued to folks that shouldn't have them. The statistical averages of that mistake is amazingly tiny. And Hammer can't even push that fact out there? She can't comment on that? I wish my personal life had that statistical average for mistakes.
I respect Hammer for what she accomplished in 1987 getting us Shall Issue and then Stand Your Ground in the early 2000z. But since then she has bowed down and protected those that block further progress. She defended Senator Bogandoff (R) when she gutted our Open Carry Bill in 2011. Hell, she verbally assaulted NRA members that brought up Bogandoff gutting open carry from the bill. And since then, every time a pro gun bill died in committee by Republican hands. She said it wasn't a failure. It was just a pause and we still won because no anti-gun bills passed.
Then we opened her mouth and flat out stated that bump stocks turn semi-autos into machine guns and that they needed to be banned. She hasn't said a word about Red Flag Laws either. Her only gripe with the gun control passed in Florida is the under 21 year old ban to buy a long gun.
She's a Fudd at this point and needs to retire.
