More Help Needed in Florida!

House Bill 129/Possession/Guns/Private Vehicles

Date: April 10, 2006
To: USF & NRA Members and Friends
From: Marion P. Hammer
NRA Past President
Executive Director Unified Sportsmen of Florida



Subject: Florida Chamber of Commerce directing anti-gun activities


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Last week House Bill 129 by Representative Baxley, to Protect Possession of Firearms in Vehicles in Parking Lots, passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 8-2.

Now the Florida Chamber of Commerce has finally shown their true ANTI-GUN colors in trying to take away the rights of law-abiding firearms owners.

We have seen an email from Florida Chamber of Commerce Vice President Mark Wilson to Brian Siebel, Brady Campaign (formerly called Handgun Control, Inc) in which Wilson instructs the gun ban organization on action to take to help the Chamber try to kill SB-206 by Peaden & HB-129 by Baxley

This legislation was filed to protect the right of law-abiding citizens to have firearms in private vehicles for lawful purposes when parked in parking lots.

Wilson, has repeatedly claimed this issue was not about guns and has claimed the business groups have nothing to do with these gun control groups. Yet, in an email to this anti-gun organization he is coordinating and directing anti-gun activities.

There is now no question as to the anti-gun activities of The Florida Chamber of Commerce. In the email, Wilson told the anti-gun Brady Campaign official that "The full court press right now should be on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee."

Wilson also encouraged these anti-gunners to threaten the House Majority Leader, Andy Gardiner by telling them to let him know "your intent on ramping up the grassroots in the republican districts where these house members live, etc."

When you walk into a business that has a Florida Chamber of Commerce membership plaque on their wall, remember what their leadership in Tallahassee is doing to take away your firearms rights and your right to protect yourself and your family.

If there ever was any question about the Florida Chamber of Commerce being engaged in anti-gun activities, there is no question now.

You Need To Act Now to counter this antigun attack on your Second Amendment and self-defense rights.

Please immediately send email to members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee AND the House Agriculture Committee - URGE THEM TO SUPPORT SB-206 by Senator Peaden & HB-129 by Baxley.

IN THE SUBJECT LINE PUT:

Support SB-206 & HB-129 Protect Possession of Firearms in Vehicles
(To send one email to all committee members at the same time, block or highlight the entire list and then copy and paste the block into the address section of the email.)

SENATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE and HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND LEADERS WHO NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU:

[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]

SB-206/HB-129 protect your right to have a gun in your vehicle (car, truck, minivan, sports utility vehicle, motorcycle, motor home, RV, etc.) for lawful purposes.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation have decided to trample privacy rights and the Second Amendment rights of Florida's 6 Million law-abiding firearms owners.

Urged into battle by Publix Super Markets, Disney World, and other big corporations, they have engaged in a campaign to try to kill the bill that protects your right to protect yourself and your family.

They want to ban guns by denying your right to have a firearm in your private vehicle when you park in a parking lot that accommodates the public and company employees.

Your right to have a gun in your car is GUTTED if you can never stop and park your car in a parking lot.

Big business is trying to claim their rights as parking lot owners supersede your constitutional right and legal right to carry firearms in your private vehicles for lawful purposes. But they are wrong.

They have no constitutional or legal right to search your vehicle or tell you what legal personal private property you can have inside your private vehicle in their parking lot or anywhere else.

Our constitutional and legal rights DO NOT END when we drive into a parking lot.

Carrying firearms in a vehicle obviously means you can leave that firearm locked in the vehicle in a parking lot when you go grocery shopping, to the doctor's office, to the movie, to visit a sick friend in the hospital, to the dry cleaners, to the shoe store or anywhere else normal people travel.

THIS ISSUE is much bigger than parking lots. The issue is carrying a firearm in your private vehicle for protection of yourself and your family when you are traveling to and from work, to and from shopping and to and from any place law-abiding normally go in the course of daily routines.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation along with the national antigun organization called the BRADY CAMPAIGN are emailing committee members urging them to vote against SB-206 & HB-129.

Please Take Action Today!

-Dtech

I'm not only going to be writing to the Committee Members, I'm also going to be writing an e-mail to Publix about their opposition to both bills.  Disney deserves a letter too, but obviously I don't partonize them anywhere near what I would Publix.  Not to mention since Publix typically leases out shopping center space, I not sure what they are thinking they can control with respect to firearms in vehicles.  Fortunately I don't shop there very often any more thanks to other alternatives, but now I will go out of my way not to shop there ever, even with having 3 (soon to be 4) Publix's within a 4 mile radius of my home.

Any way, these bills need our support to merely reinforce what the constitution already grants.  One, to own firearms, and two, protection against illegal search and seizure whether you're an employee or a customer!

Quoted: I'm not only going to be writing to the Committee Members, I'm also going to be writing an e-mail to Publix about their opposition to both bills.  Disney deserves a letter too, but obviously I don't partonize them anywhere near what I would Publix.  Not to mention since Publix typically leases out shopping center space, I not sure what they are thinking they can control with respect to firearms in vehicles.  Fortunately I don't shop there very often any more thanks to other alternatives, but now I will go out of my way not to shop there ever, even with having 3 (soon to be 4) Publix's within a 4 mile radius of my home.

Publix isn't worried about the store parking lots... they're worried about the huge facility in Lakeland.

Funny thing, I do a LOT of work @ Disney.  My PT140 is in my car right now  

So let me get this straight.

Florida Chamber of Commerce working with the Brady Campaign to remove support from  SB-206 & HB-129

The Brady Campaign currently has a anti-florida tourism campaign going ,  www.bradycampaign.org/press/release.php?release=682

So the Chamber is supporting an orginization that is against tourism in Florida. I think if I was a member of the Chamber I would be pissed.

I was sure to point that out in my letter.

D

Quoted: So let me get this straight. Florida Chamber of Commerce working with the Brady Campaign to remove support from  SB-206 & HB-129 The Brady Campaign currently has a anti-florida tourism campaign going ,  www.bradycampaign.org/press/release.php?release=682 So the Chamber is supporting an orginization that is against tourism in Florida. I think if I was a member of the Chamber I would be pissed. I was sure to point that out in my letter. D

Excellent point and a great one to make in your letter!

I'm not sure if the sheer desperation of the "Brady Bunch" is more pathetic or hilarious.  

Considering Florida was the first state to ever have concealed carry, has always been a "firearms friendly" State for the most part, and the fact that somewhere around 35-40% of the ownership aged population in Florida own firearms, you'd think they'd realize it's not only an uphill battle for them here, it's more like trying to scale a smooth brick wall that's 100 feet high without rappelling gear.

Maybe it's because the Bradys want to retire here?  Sorry Bradys, why don't you try Austrailia (no offense to any Aussies out there ).  

Totally forgot about their headquarters in Lakeland but I would imagine they are trying to push policy for their stores as well whether it's parking lot or store interior.  

Oh, and the information on the Brady Campaign's website is so outdated and inaccurate (check out their info on concealed carry, they have a real "warm spot" in their hearts for Florida there) they should be the ones getting an "F"!

Quoted: Totally forgot about their headquarters in Lakeland but I would imagine they are trying to push policy for their stores as well whether it's parking lot or store interior.

Except that they don't own the parking lot, it's owned by the shopping center.  Publix merely leases their store space.

That's exactly what I said in my second post.  

Here's a copy of the letter I sent to the Committee members / Congressmen / Senators:

Esteemed Senate Criminal Justice Committee and House Agriculture Committee Members and Leaders:

I am writing this letter to ask for your support of SB-206 and HB-129 in order to protect the rights of law abiding citizens to legally carry their firearms within their private vehicles, wherever they might go in living out their daily lives.  An individual's conveyance is no different than their home in that it is an extension of the privacy, freedoms, and rights all Florida residents enjoy in their homes.  Speaking not only as an individual, but as a business owner as well, to allow businesses to restrict what individuals can or can not have inside of their private vehicles is completely absurd and a blatant attempt by certain organizations to supercede the Constitution, State, and Federal law, even if it is disguised as an effort to promote some kind of sense of additional "safety" from gun violence.

A perfect example of the nonsensical nature of this dictatorial approach would be to not allow cell phones to be kept in private vehicles for fear that a person may use it improperly while driving in a parking lot or elsewhere and cause an accident / fatality.  I would venture to say, as I'm sure you would all agree and statistical data would show, that there are many more injuries in the State of Florida due to improper use of cell phones and communication devices in vehicles, than injuries due to someone simply having / transporting a firearm in their vehicles.  In other words, it is unrealistic, unfair, and essentially unconstitutional to infringe on the rights of the majority simply because there is a fear that a select few MAY attempt to break the law or have a lack of respect of hurting other people.

Intelligent businesses and government alike can and should only do so much to protect people from themselves and each other.  At some point early on, it becomes the individuals' responsibility to do that.  Shame on them that do not choose to or foolishly think it is not their individual responsibility, and that it should be done for them and forced on everyone else to promote a false sense of security.

It is also very disturbing and puzzling to me, as it should be to all of you, that not only some businesses, but also the Florida Chamber of Commerce has acted in opposition to these bills and in support of the Brady Campaign anti-gun agenda, especially since the Brady Campaign has been pushing an anti-tourism "terror tactics" campaign against Florida, attempting to hurt Florida's economy and businesses ever since the "Castle Doctrine" bill was made law.  The ironies of politics never cease to amaze!

Again, I strongly urge all of you on behalf of myself, my family, and as part of the South Florida business community, to please support the passage of SB-206 and HB-129 to protect the rights of all law abiding Florida residents.

Sincerely and Respectfully,

I sent an email to Mark Wilson also and this was his reply:

Thank you for taking the time to email me.  As a gun owner I don't support the brady bunch just like I don't support the rifle association taking the property rights away from its own members, not to mention other property owners throughout our geat state.  I wonder if the proponents of SB 206 told you that I allow guns in my parking lot.  To the extent the brady people create grassroots support for opposition to taking away the property rights of homeowners and other property owners, I commend them.  For the other activities I have heard from my friend Marian that they allegedly engage in, I am dissapointed in them.  I'd be happy to have a phone call with you if you still want more information.  Together, we should champion the 2nd amendment and reduce government regulation in our lives.  Thanks again.
My best,
Mark

Boy does that sound familiar...  You gotta love it when they play both sides of the fence.  A true "People's Champion" of ideology.  

It's really quite simple...you can support and dictate whatever you want for the interior of your private property, including the parking lot, but a vehicle is an individual's private property and a secured one at that (locked, even motorcycles have locking storage).  The moment someone steps out of the car and onto someone else's property then the property owner's "rules" apply within the scope of Federal, State, or Local law, unless it is true trespassing and the individuals are not suppose to be there by owner request or court order.  Until then the private vehicle is sovereign territory, especially since we are protected from illegal search and seizure, which is what attempting to search someone's vehicle would be.

It's simple, it works, and it's fair.  EVERYONE's private property is respected that way.