@Modern-Musket

Please click the link below regarding Floridas open legislative session and their about face regarding both open and campus carry. 

Looks like both initiatives are being shelved as our reps stated at the 11th hour that they need "a better political climate". As we ALL know, the political climate will NEVER be better then RIGHT NOW. 

Last year, these same two bills were killed by yet another GOP RINO. NRA member and (former) Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla. This guy, due to his actions and public statements should have his NRA membership immediately revoked in my opinion.

We are being duped, again, and Senator Greg Steube is the (GOP) guy, this time, yanking the carpet out from under the feet of Floridas law abiding gun owners.

FL Gun Rights Legislative Action Thread

Please do everything in your power to bring this to light at the NRA and prioritize communicating to Senator Steube that this is NOT acceptable.

Lovely, the FL GOP is rife with anti-gun liars. 

I really hope the NRA is going to put some energy in to this situation.

Sen. Steube's office gave me the same line as RINO_Hunter 

So here is the deal.

Sen. Steube's Office stated that the Good Senator is still on board for open carry but the problem he is now facing is the Committee Members. There are nine total (counting Sen Steube) and out of the eight other members. Four of them are Republican. We know automatically that the three Democrat Members won't vote in favor. So the problem is with the four other Republicans members. They are currently not in favor of supporting SB-140. 

Chair:Senator Greg Steube(R)
Vice Chair:Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R)

• Senator Anitere Flores (R) 
  
• Senator Rene Garcia (R)
• Senator Debbie Mayfield (R) 
  
• Senator Bobby Powell (D)
• Senator Perry E. Thurston, Jr. (D)
• Senator Audrey Gibson (D)
• Senator Randolph Bracy (D)

That's a 5/4 split in our favor. This should be a cake walk. Five Republicans members means the Democrats aren't even an issue. In theory this shouldn't even be an issue. But here we have four Republicans that are not currently in favor of strengthening and further securing the 2nd Amendment.

Here are the four turncoats that are currently selling our rights down river.

Vice Chair of the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee: Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto (R)

https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S27

District Office
2310 First Street Unit 305 
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 338-2570

Tallahassee Office 
400 Senate Office Building 
404 South Monroe Street 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 
(850) 487-5027

Senator Anitere Flores (R) 

https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S39

District Office 
10691 North Kendall Dr. Suite 309 
Miami, FL 33176 
(305) 270-6550

Tallahassee Office 
404 Senate Office Building 
404 South Monroe Street 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
 (850) 487-5039

Senator Rene Garcia (R)

District Office 
1490 West 68th Street Suite 201 
Hialeah, FL 33014
 (305) 364-3100 
FAX (305) 364-3110

Tallahassee Office 
310 Senate Office Building 
404 South Monroe Street 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 
(850) 487-5036

Senator Debbie Mayfield (R)

https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S17

District Office 900 E. Strawbridge Avenue 
Melbourne, FL 32901 
(321) 409-2025

Satellite Office 
1801 27th Street 
Vero Beach, FL 32960 
(772) 226-1970

Tallahassee Office 
324 Senate Office Building 
404 South Monroe Street 
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100
 (850) 487-5017


So in plain English..... we have four Republican State Senators and Senator Steube (Author of the Open Carry Bill) that are looking at standing between 1.69 million citizens and the restoration of their rights. Politically speaking it is a good move for the Anti-2nd Amendment Forces since the Democrats would never have touched it and if the Republicans won't touch it right now. SB-140 is dead if it cannot get out of committee. 

Everything says right now that the four Republican committee members told Steube off the record that they are anti gun and will not vote for the bill. We need to hammer these four Republicans. Call every office, email them, fax them, snail mail them. Go in person if you can!

All of what Miami_JBT said.......and I'd really like to get MM to chime in here as well.

(Thanks for the clarification on Staube and those actually responsible for this getting shelved.)

The NRA carries a big stick and we need it in FL badly here.

Marrion Hammer sadly is the stick and she has a shit history lately of selling us out on the 11th hour. I'd damn take over if I knew NRA woud back me.

Good luck with that. Hammer is damn near legendary within the halls of the NRA.

@Modern-Musket

Please chime in when you can. Thank you.

Brother....

I have read your commentary and advised the NRA Institute for Legislative Action to look into the matter your behalf.  I'm on travel currently and will continue to monitor as I can.  In the meanwhile, the best thing to do is to continue to call, write, email and visit your representatives.

Hang tough.....

That's not enough right now....
We have two Republicans that will kill it.

News is already reporting of Steube's plan to break it up. 

Senate plans to break up major gun bill - News4Jax 


"Just from feeling the tea leaves, it's probably better to attack it piece by piece," Steube said after a Judiciary Committee meeting. "The House doesn't have a bill that has all those different (parts)." 

When Steube's proposal is broken up, potentially into as many as 10 parts, Senate President Joe Negron will have to refer each proposal to a series of committee appearances.

Steube said campus-carry, which he sponsored in the House, and the airport-terminal proposal would be his top priorities."Given what's happened at Fort Lauderdale airport, that's important to me," Steube said, alluding to a recent mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.Steube's measure was scheduled to first go before the Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10, but the meeting was canceled as one Republican member --- Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah --- wasn't going to be in attendance. Including Steube and Garcia, the committee is comprised of five Republicans and four Democrats.

Steube's comments Tuesday came after a Second Amendment website claimed that the open-carry legislation is being held up by Republican members of the committee."Theoretically. This should be a cake walk," the website The Truth About Guns said Monday in an article called "Florida Open Carry On Life Support."

"Five Republicans members means the Democrats aren't even an issue," The Truth About Guns continued. "But here we have four Republicans that aren't currently in favor of strengthening and further securing the 2nd Amendment in Florida."

Meanwhile, influential National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said Tuesday prior to the committee meeting that she isn't worried about Steube's proposal."If I were worried, you would have seen me blast out an alert," Hammer said when asked about the bill as currently written. 


I don't think we'll get Open Carry this year. And of course Marion Hammer needed to send an alert already.


SB-140 is not "dead" but it has one hell of a fight ahead of it and right now could use a prayer. The main obstacle is Sen. Garcia and Sen. Flores. Which surprising, both of them voted in favor of Sen. Bradley's SB 128 (Stand Your Ground). Alex Blair, Legislative Assistant to Sen. Steube stated that he was getting calls left and right and tons of emails. He stated that the Good Senator has four more weeks left of committee meetings to work SB 140. He stated that Sen. Steube has two plans of attack.1. Push the bill through committee as one piece and see if it gets voted on and passes.2. Break the bill up into separate items. One bill for Open Carry, another for Campus Carry, another for Airport Carry, etc....But his did say that right now the two hold outs are Sen. Flores and Sen. Garcia.Senator Anitere Flores (R)  

https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S39 

District Office 
10691 North Kendall Dr. Suite 309  
Miami, FL 33176  
(305) 270-6550 

Tallahassee Office 
404 Senate Office Building 
404 South Monroe Street  
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 
 (850) 487-5039 

Senator Rene Garcia (R) 

https://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/S36

District Office  
1490 West 68th Street Suite 201  
Hialeah, FL 33014 
 (305) 364-3100  
FAX (305) 364-3110 
Tallahassee Office  
310 Senate Office Building   
404 South Monroe Street   
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100   
(850) 487-5036

I went to Sen. Flores' Office and Sen. Garcia's Office. Both of their staffs stated that presently they have no comment. The Staff for Sen. Garcia's body langauge said it all. That Sen. Garcia isn't for Open Carry. We already know that Sen. Flores Miami Staff let the cat out of the bag already.

Marion Hammer of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida and the unofficial voice for the NRA was there and so was Eric J. Friday of Florida Carry. Mr. Friday gave one hell of a presentation on why SB 128 needs to pass. So once again, we have two choices. Either we give up. Or we press on the attack. I SAY ATTACK!

Alex Blair stated under no certain terms that Steube does not want this to die. I told him flat out that no matter what it needs to go to vote. If it dies in committee by vote, then we get to see who the turncoats were. That we cannot have a repeat of last year's death via Ex-Sen. Miguel Díaz de la Portilla killing in committee without a vote. 

The calls and letters are flowing MM and thank you for getting a bright light shined on this at the NRA end.

This is a repetitive problem with the FL GOP and frankly, given the curent lopsided balance of GOP seats in Tallahassee, the leopards true spots are showing and it's completely unacceptable.

Your help here is GREATLY appreciated.

All the best to you brother.

Marion Hammer doesn't feel this situation justifies.......an "alert"? 

The political influence of Floridas gun rights muscle is being completely undermined with zero influence from Democrats. Political influence that's being wholely undermined by GOP members themselves.

The NRA needs to take up this cause. This isn't a minor event. If we can't further "slam dunk" pro-2A legislation while enjoying GOP majorities across the board in Tallahassee, tell me what fight is worth backing?

These people have cloaked themselves in good intentions in respect to gun rights and repetitively show their true intentions when it comes time to put their votes to the record. This spans years in Florida and it had better be confronted at every available level.

I don't believe Marion has any interest in open carry. She has never advocated for it, nor said much about it. 

She would probably rather the bill be broken up so that campus carry and lifting restricted areas will pass. OC is not on her radar. 

Edit: typos

Back in 2011, Hammer was for SB 234 and eve  said it was primarily about Open Carry. Then when Ex-Senator Bogdanoff gutted it she called all of us loons and radicals and praised Bogdanoff.

From day one I was worried because they included something for everybody to hate in that bill. They should have presented them separately because there are a lot of people who might be in favor of Open Carry but not carry in schools etc. It is much easier to swallow small bites than it is to shove the whole big mack down their throat at the same time.

Form Email to send out across to every...... 

Yeah, I know this is huge. But just copy and paste it. It is every email address I posted.  

[email protected];  [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] 


Subject Line: FL GOP, the 2nd Amendment, and Women's Rights 

Hello, 

I've have been a life long Republican and I have also been Pro 2nd Amendment for my entire life too. 

For the 2017 Legislative Session; Sen. Greg Steube introduced SB-140. This was an all in one comprehensive bill that combined Open Carry and Campus Carry. I bring this up because since 2011. Pro 2nd Amendment Bills have been submitted in the State Senate and they have been blocked by Republicans. Not Democrats.... but fellow Republicans. Our Party prides itself as being the party that protects and expands individual rights. It campaigns on supporting the 2nd Amendment and exercising said rights. Yet we have Republicans constantly trying to limit our rights to self defense and especially those of women. Campus rapes and attack on female students is an ongoing and grave issue. And yet the members of the GOP continues to strip them of their rights to self defense.  

This year so far, Sen. Steube's efforts have been crushed by fellow Republican Sen. Anitere Flores and Sen. Rene Garcia. Both members of Sen. Steube's Judiciary Committee. That committee is made up of a total of nine members. Five Republicans and four Democrats. With Sen. Flores and Sen. Garcia siding with the Democrats. They crushed any chance of Campus Carry at the moment. That's right. Two Republicans once again sided with Democrats to strip you and our fellow Floridians of the chance to exercise our rights and even more important. Have the ability to defend yourselves.  

Senator Anitere Flores is one of three Republican Senators that sided with the Democrats to call for a Special Session after the Fort Lauderdale Airport Terror Attack.    She stated the following.    "WE SEE NOW, WITH THIS LATEST ATTACK, THAT WE NEED TO TAKE A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT GUN LAWS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA AND FIND THE BEST WAY TO BALANCE THE INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE TO OWN GUNS VERSUS PUBLIC SAFETY."

In 2016; a similar situation occurred in the Senate. Then Republican Judiciary Chairman Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla stopped SB-300 via the very same committee that this year's bill has been stopped in. Sen. de la Portilla stated "OPEN CARRY IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN; IT'S DONE…ON ALL OF THESE GUN BILLS, I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THEM ARE NECESSARY. THEY COULD RESULT IN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. I THINK WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE IN OUR COMMITTEE, AS FAR AS WHAT WE HEAR. WE CAN'T HEAR EVERY BILL THAT'S REFERRED TO US." He of course did so with the blessing of then Senate President Andy Gardiner, also a Republican.  

If you recall. In November of 2014; there was an active shooter attack at the Strozier Library. One of the FSU Students injured by the crazed attacker was a legally licensed conceal carry permit holder but was disarmed by State Law which bans anyone fRom carrying on campus. What's worse is that our fellow Floridians could have been legally armed if earlier that year the same type of bill as today was not gutted by a Senate Republican. 

In 2014's Session, it was Sen. Charles McBurney; Republican of course that blocked SB-344 in the Senate via committee.  

In 2011, it was Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff that prevent FSU students from being able to be legally armed. She removed any and all mention of Campus Carry from SB-234 by an amendment that was then voted and passed by fellow Republicans.  

Our Party claims to be the one that protects the 2nd Amendment yet time after time, they have been the ones that kill our rights. This is unacceptable. I bring this to your attention because their actions affect you and your fellow students. As Republicans Young and Old (thank God I'm not there yet!) we need to press the issue.  

If the GOP claims to be a Party that defends the 2nd Amendment, protects the right to self defense, and claims to be the true Party that is for the equality and freedom of women. Then they need to pass Campus Carry and Open Carry.  

Open Carry ties into this because women are hindered by societal standards on dress. It is much harder for a woman to conceal a firearm on their body. Usually they have to resort to off body carry via a purse. This in of itself is a problem.

In 2016, Ms. Lopez-Rivas wrote this letter to then Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla. Ms. Lopez-Rivas is an undergraduate student at Florida State University and a Rape Victim.

"I am typing this letter from a Starbucks in Tallahassee, where I am situationally aware, trained, and well armed. Although I do not expect anything drastic to happen today, I am still prepared if something does go down—either to get the heck out and dodge, or tackle whatever happens head on, and I am prepared to do so with deadly force if needed. Although I now maintain great situational awareness everywhere I go and have self defense training in disarming, and in fighting off, an attacker, there are times where I am legally left without the tool that could best level the playing field in protecting me—my gun. 

Currently under Florida law, I am not allowed to carry on my campus, Florida State University. On my campus that reported 17 sexual assaults in 2014; on my campus that uses maybe 10 uniformed officers at any given point in time to protect the whole campus; on my campus that refuses to back campus carry as a way for women to legitimately protect themselves from assault; and on my campus which claims sovereign immunity when they are unable to protect these women: I am told I am safe and I do not need a gun.

While President Thrasher and university officials would have you believe that I am not defenseless, and even, that I am safe on campus, I would beg to differ. I already used pepper spray once; do you want to know how that ended for me? I was left shaking and crying, half naked on campus grounds, with cut marks all over my body. That’s what pepper spray did for me.As a gun rights activist, I can write all day about our Second Amendment rights. I will throw down statistics like how 0.1 percent of rapes were completed when women used a firearm as compared to a 34 percent completion rate when women used any other form of self-defense. Or how with the exception of two, all the mass shootings since the 1950’s have been in gun free zones.  Stats are easy to discuss, but when it comes to talking about being raped, my throat gets dry and my hands freeze up. It’s a lot harder to write about nightmares than it is to write about numbers. 

And I do have nightmares from being raped on campus. Sometimes they are so bad I wake up at three in the morning sweaty and terrified because in my mind I am being raped again. In my mind I am there: I am forced into a secluded area, forced to unzip my pants, forced to lay down as tiny cuts are made all over my body and a man I do not know rolls on a condom and forces himself on top of me. I remember how cold the asphalt felt as I distracted myself from the sting of the knife. I remember looking into his eyes and realizing there was no emotion behind them, no sympathy just sadism. And I remember thinking: this is how I’m going to die and then getting up after it was done, tears streaming down my face and neck wondering how I even survived.

I was already raped once off campus my freshman year of college, but this time I used pepper spray. This time I ran, heading for those blue lights staggered around campus to signal the police I was in danger. I did everything right but when he pulled a knife I stopped fighting. Instinct told me to cooperate if I didn’t want to get stabbed to death, and here I am today—sitting at Starbucks, simultaneously trying to remember the exact details and forget this ever happened.

I fight for my Second Amendment rights because I believe I should never have a chance of getting raped again. I won’t deny the possibility of getting injured, but my gun gives me a chance that pepper spray, stun guns, and pocketknives never will. It prevents a knife being held at my throat and the voice of a stranger promising me he won’t kill me. And I won’t be denied the right to have that chance of surviving a potential attack rather than being assaulted again.

Sen. Diaz de la Portilla, why are you so adamant in denying me my right to protect myself and have a gun on campus? Why have you not schedule the campus carry bill for the Senate Judiciary Committee you chair? Why have you not met with me for 15 minutes since October when I began sending you and your legislative assistant weekly emails asking for an appointment?

I hope this open letter will engage opposition to campus carry. I hope everyone will understand why it’s so important that the bill be scheduled for a vote. Senator Diaz de la Portilla: Don’t let me be raped on campus again, let me arm myself, and whether you vote yes or no, at least schedule the campus carry bill for a vote."

Lastly, in February of 2012; Mr. Dale Norman was arrested by Fort Pierce Police for legally carrying a pistol. Mr. Norman was abiding by State Law by concealing his pistol while carrying under the authority of the State Issued Conceal Carry Weapons Permit. Mr. Norman's shirt rode up and briefly exposed the bottom of his holster. Once again; Mr. Norman, a law abiding was simply walking along the side walk and was arrested at gun point and forced to the ground simply for exercising his rights. Mr. Norman is currently fighting for his civil rights in the Florida Supreme Court.  

Sen. Joe Negron (R) is the current Senate President. We need to make sure that he along with Senate Majority Leader Wilton Simpson (R) correct these issues. I am asking that you rally your College Republicans and email, call, and visit in person if possible and push this issue. Florida is only one of five State in the country that does not have Open Carry. Forty five other States do. We're one of the few State that restrict Campus Carry. We have a Republican Majority in the House and Senate along with having control of the Governor's Seat. It is a travesty that we cannot pass such simply legislation that corrects such injustices.  

I ask for your assistance and I thank you for taking your time to hear me out. 

Thank You 

Sincerely, 

Welcome back to the reality of America, self serving bureaucrats.

Trump is an anomaly, don't get lulled into a sense of security by his patriotic resolve, the enemy is among us.

Tagged

Burning another vacation day to go to the Capitol.