Florida Shooters Network

As a life-long Republican, and law-abiding resident of Florida -- who supports the right of people to own, carry and use firearms for any lawful purpose -- I am respectfully requesting that you call the legislature into a special session. As you are no doubt aware, Article III, Section 3 of the Florida Constitution specifically allows special legislative sessions.

The purpose of the special session would be to enact a Constitutional Carry law and a law declaring Florida to be a "Second Amendment Sanctuary," so that state and local police will not enforce Federal gun laws, which infringe on my rights to keep AND bear arms, pursuant to the Florida Constitution and the Second Amendment to the US Constitution. Both of these important reasons for the special session would bring Florida into compliance with Article 1, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution and the Second Amendment to the US Constitution.

Twenty States have passed Constitutional Carry legislation, Forty-Five States have passed Open Carry legislation, six states have passed Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation. Florida has always been considered protective of gun-owners' rights, which is why I fully expected our state to be among those states standing up to federal infringement of those rights, especially in light of the lawlessness and rioting being tolerated and even promoted by those on the left who refuse to recognize the right of the people to be secure in their persons and property.

And yet under Republican leadership, our legislature has run roughshod over gun owners' rights. This past session, we had a number of good pro-gun bills, and NOT ONE of them passed out of their original chamber! Some of these committees were the very same ones that passed your “anti-riot” bill, HB 1.

Rep. Cord Byrd (R) said that he would not bring up for a vote HB 123, the Constitutional Carry bill, since it did not have a Senate Companion bill. Yet HB 1 had no Senate companion bill and that bill was brought up for a vote and passed all committees and both chambers -- ultimately reaching your desk for your signature. While that bill may be a good "optic" for the politically ambitious, it lacks important substantive protections for individual rights that I expect out of my elected representatives - particularly those in my own party.

We are now passing a decade of seeing Republican legislative leadership sidelining and blocking pro-gun legislation that would truly protect or expand my gun rights.

Enough is enough. No one remains in power forever, and as we've seen in Washington, when the pendulum of power swings, it often does so with the force of a wrecking ball - and the same can happen in Florida.

Gov. DeSantis, please call the legislature into a special session to vote on Constitutional Carry and a Second Amendment Sanctuary bill.

Gun Owners of America will keep me informed, and I in turn will inform my friends, family, business associates and members of my community. We are all counting on you.