The House showed its utter disregard for public safety in November when it approved the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which would take away the authority of states to decide who is allowed to carry a concealed and loaded handgun within their borders.

This is really “utter disregard.” Consider the following passage:

For example, New York, New Jersey and other states that bar individuals under 21 from obtaining a concealed carry permit would have to honor permits from states with no age requirement. The measure would also hamper efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking. An individual with a concealed carry permit from Florida — which allows the holder to carry unlimited numbers of concealed weapons — could drive a stash of weapons into New York and would have to be caught selling the guns on the street to get arrested.

What is stopping those teenagers in Harlem from arming themselves now? They don’t have concealed carry permits. This argument only aims to show that it would punish the law-abiding as the criminals are already breaking the law.

Does a posted speed limit by itself stop speeding? No, so why would a law such as this change who is packing an illegal gun and who is legally carrying a gun? Except to make it illegal to even carry a gun in the first place? In the end it seems to use the illegal gun would still be carried.

We don’t expect to see another Fast and Furious exactly, but there have been other capers that have turned out to be full-blown debacles. This story might be one to follow.

“Every gun we get off the streets is one less potential fatality.”

There is no proof this is true, and it is ironic that the media pays so much attention to these and barely notes Fast and Furious, which truly could result in fatalities on both side of the border.

Not at all, as he decides to take on concealed handgun permit holders, noting that several individuals held the permits and committed “mass murder (three or more innocents killed) with guns.” Of course what he doesn’t list are the tens of thousands of names of concealed handgun permit holders who never broke the law.

He doesn’t note that criminals don’t even bother with the permits at all! But Horwitz uses Marqus Hill as an example instead:

We’ve already had a preview of how H.R. 822 will work in practice. In September of last year, Marqus Hill, a resident of Philadelphia, executed an 18-year-old who allegedly broke into his car, shooting him 13 times on the street. The city of Philadelphia had previously revoked a concealed handgun permit that Hill held in the state of Pennsylvania based on his criminal history. Because of a reciprocity agreement that Pennsylvania signed with Florida, Hill was able to get a permit in the mail from The Sunshine State with no problem.

It isn’t noted that Marqus Hill was actually acquitted. So the point of criminal history is actually misleading. But does the truth really matter to anti-gun zealots?

Florida Carry, Inc., through our attorneys, has requested that Governor Scott appoint a special prosecutor to investigate felony violations of state law by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Demings’ department utilized secure police databases, intended for use in the enforcement of law, for his office’s lobbying efforts and made private gun owner, concealed firearms licensee, and driver’s license data public despite multiple state and federal laws.

Orlando area State Attorney Lawson Lamar’s Office has refused to fully investigate this issue and cleared high ranking members of the Sheriff’s lobbying team of any wrongdoing within days despite clear violations of state and federal law.

There is a clear conflict of interest when the local prosecutor is tasked with investigating the department he relies on to bring him cases. A Special Prosecutor is necessary to remove any bias or perception of impropriety.

Click the links here to see the reply to our request for investigation from the Orlando Area State Attorney’s Office and our subsequent letter to Governor Scott requesting a Special Prosecutor be appointed.
We urgently need you to email Governor Scott NOW!

Include “Please appoint a special prosecutor for OCSO” in the Subject Line

E-mail Helper (feel free to cut, paste, and edit to suit)

—————————————————————————-
TO: rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com

SUBJECT: Please appoint a special prosecutor for OCSO!

Dear Governor Scott,

This e-mail is to express my great concern that senior members of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office utilized the private personal information of Florida gun owners, obtained from secure law enforcement databases, for their lobbying efforts in Tallahassee. This data is intended for use in the enforcement of law, not release to the public to support a political agenda. Despite state and federal law, an Orange County Sheriff’s Captain in charge of the lobbying office released Driver’s License photos in a list of Concealed Weapons/Firearms License (CWFL) holders and Gun Owners before testifying before a Senate Committee considering SB 234.

See the video here: http://www.wesh.com/news/29029438/detail.html

Florida Carry requested an investigation be opened by the local State Attorney but received a letter, days later, saying that there was no violation of law. I join Florida Carry in asking that a Special Prosecutor be appointed to investigate the felony release of a gun owner list, CWFL data, and other protected personal information.

See this link to the letter sent to your office:
http://www.floridacarry.org/images/stories/OCSO/florida%20carry%20-%20scott%20letter%20for%20spec%20pro.pdf

There is a clear conflict of interest when the local prosecutor is tasked with investigating the department he relies on to bring him cases. A Special Prosecutor is necessary to remove any bias or perception of impropriety.

Respectfully yours,

 

—————————————————————————-

About:
Florida Carry is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental civil right of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I Section 8 of the Florida Constitution. Florida Carry, Inc. was organized by a group of Florida gun rights activists in order to better coordinate activities, effectively lobby the state legislature, and to provide a legal entity capable of filing suit to demand compliance with state and federal law. Florida Carry stands only to represent our members and the over 8 million gun owners of Florida. We are not beholden to any national organization’s agenda that may compromise that mission.
Florida Carry works tirelessly toward repealing and striking down ill-conceived gun control laws that have been proven to provide safe havens to criminals and be deadly to law abiding citizens.

However, our friends at The Gun Zone have compiled years (seriously years) of similar anti-gun bias at Time.

The Gun Zone: Time’s Anti-Gun Agenda

We don’t question editorials, but would be curious why it is even necessary when the passage begins, “How low can the Florida Legislature go in pandering to the gun lobby?” The rest of the editorial isn’t about any national issue, or any that affects New York City or even New York State in the least.

Instead and once again, this shows that New York editors think they know America when they can’t see past the Hudson River.

What the mainstream media hasn’t picked up on it, there seems to be Operation Castaway, a similar program that was conducted by ATF’s Florida offices, which likely put guns into the hands of Honduran criminals including the violent MS-13 gang.

What was ATF thinking in letting guns walk?

There have been those who have suggested that this could all be a plot, a conspiracy, to allow criminals to obtain weapons so that ATF could crack down on all guns. Anti-gun types, and some in the media, have called this theory absolute nonsense. But honestly, can anyone come up with a better explanation for why ATF let so many guns fall into the hands of criminals?

The Brevard County law enforcement agencies had a “Kicks for Guns” campaign, but it is the comment by Sgt. Ron Lugo of the Palm Bay Police Department that we find shameful:

“A lot of the weapons we see getting turned in are from people that don’t want them, maybe someone whose spouse has died.”

The very statement shows both ignorance and a total disregard for the potential value of some collectible firearms. A widow or orphan could be given a $50 gift certificate for items worth potentially thousands of dollars. Simply shameful!

“Florida doctors may be silenced on preaching gun safety, but I can still say it. If you have a weapon, store it safely and out of the reach of kids.”

Good advice, but she also says she thinks “it’s a bad law.”

It is only a bad law if you assume every gun owner to be irresponsible. Yes, there are tragic accidents with firearms, but as she notes, a large number of children in Florida drown in swimming pools. We can either be a Nanny State and warn about every little thing or we can allow people to use their own commonsense.

This isn’t a bad law because as Clifford notes:

“Interestingly, the law also forbids insurance companies from denying coverage or increasing any premiums because of gun ownership.”

Why should responsible gun owners pay more in insurance? The anti-gun crowd continues to look to use backdoor bans anyway possible, and this law in Florida closes one of those doors.