User Panel
Posted: 9/16/2019 11:36:57 AM EDT
The 2020 Legislative Session is right around the corner and right now the House and Senate are engaging in committee to discuss the crafting of legislation.
Senate President Bill Galvano (R), the man who crafted the Post Parkland Gun Control Bill SB 7026 that former Governor Rick Scott signed into law after it passed the House and Senate via Supermajority GOP Support has directed Sen. Tom Lee (R) to lead a Senate Workshop this week. Sen. Lee is the chair for the Senate Committee on Infrastructure and Security. That committee is five Republicans to three Democrats. But that doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that Sen. Pres. Galvano has directed Sen. Lee to chair this workshop and it is specifically to address "mass attacks and targeted violence." The Legislators on the panel will examine ways to improve the information flow between U.S. Department of Justice and Florida Department of Law Enforcement, mental health options, gun laws, threat assessment and racial terrorism. Sen. Lee was one of the few Republicans that did vote against SB 7026 back in May 2018 thankfully. So I hope he will run this workshop as a dog and pony show to appease Galvano and nothing more. But Sen. Pres. Galvano is not to be trusted. Sen. Lee told the Tampa Bay Times that when SB 7026 was crafted and passed. "It definitely broke the seal." View Quote "Populism is a plague on the republic," said state Rep. James Grant, a Tampa Republican who leads the House subcommittee on Criminal Justice. "We have to be responsive to our constituents, we have to be listening to them, but this era of populism ... it sets up a tragic pathway forward.
There comes a time in our society that public opinion consolidates so much around an issue that a representative democracy can no longer represent in denial," Lee said. "It will move or it will get replaced." View Quote The Senate Workshop is scheduled to start at 1pm eastern and will be broadcasted. At 1pm, they post the live link on the Committee' webpage. Scheduled to speak is FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen and Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight. I can tell you this. FDLE as an agency is no friend to the 2nd Amendment and Sheriff Knight is especially no friend of ours. Sheriff Knight is speaking for the entire Florida Sheriff's Association and that organization has always been anti-gun. Sheriff Knight is just like Pinellas County Sheriff Gualtieri and is against Floridians carrying (whether they're open or concealed) firearms. He's also not running again and this will be his last term. So he isn't beholden to the voters and I think he's going to go full bore Anti-Gun. Additionally, currently four bills have been submitted in the Senate that are in no way pro 2nd Amendment. SB 266 makes it to where a firearm must be locked in a safe or have a trigger lock on it when it is in the home. If this becomes law, you can't keep a gun at the ready in your home for personal protection. SB 134 repeals State Preemption and allows Political Subdivisions and Municipalities to pass their own gun control ordinances. Basically a city or county can pass an assault weapons ban or a magazine ban. They can also regulate gun ranges and gun shops out of existence. The following two bills piggyback off each other. They push UBC and end Private Sales. Also they restrict the "temporary" transfer of firearms to other parties even if they're family. If a firearm is to be transferred, a background must be done and a 4473 must be completed at a FFL. SB 94 ends private sales in the state and mandates that all transfers must go through a dealer. Also it mandates universal background checks. You can't even loan a family member a gun for more than 14 days. So that means if you're in the military or away from your home because of work. You can't have someone store your guns for you. SB 270 repeals the provisions that a dealer must release a firearm to a buyer after three business days if there is a delay in the background. Right now, if FDLE doesn't contact the dealer within three business days. The firearm can be released. This bill makes it to wear if FDLE never gives a confirmation, the gun can never be released. Also this bill limits the loaning of a firearm to family for 10 days. Here are the bills introduced in the House of Representatives. HB 117 makes it to where a person must have had a mental health evaluation conducted by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist before they can qualify for a CCW Permit. This is not cheap and brings up a question on what makes a person "rational" for a CCW permit. Mental Health is always about one's opinion over another and is never openly based on fact. It is all about "feeling". HB 6001 repealed the provisions that allows someone with a CCW to carry a taser or stun gun on a COllege or University Campus. The carrying of a firearm is already forbidden. So this would further disarm people. HB 6009 is just like SB 134. It repeals State Preemption and allows Political Subdivisions and Municipalities to pass their own gun control ordinances. Basically a city or county can pass an assault weapons ban or a magazine ban. They can also regulate gun ranges and gun shops out of existence. The only pro gun bill is HB 6003. It repeals the Gun Control passed in 2018 after Parkland. It basically guts SB 7026. No more Red Flag Orders, restores the rights of any Floridian under the age of 21 to buy a long gun, and repeals the Bump Stock Ban (even though on a Federal Level Bump Stocks are banned, Binary Triggers aren't. Which in FL they are due to SB 7026). |
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When I moved out of Florida three years ago it was one of the most 2A states and it's been depressing as hell watching it slip back. I eventually want to move back because of family but stuff like this makes it that much harder.
But on the plus-side, DeSantis would veto all this, right? |
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Quoted:
When I moved out of Florida three years ago it was one of the most 2A states and it's been depressing as hell watching it slip back. I eventually want to move back because of family but stuff like this makes it that much harder. But on the plus-side, DeSantis would veto all this, right? View Quote He's a politician and by definition (like it or no) a member of the enemy class!! |
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Quoted:
Did the other thread get deleted? View Quote https://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/2255900_It-starts-today--FL-Legislative-Meetings-over-Gun-Control-live-feed-at-1pm.html |
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So what was the fallout from the meeting? Florida Republicans will probably back UBC and expanding Red Flag Laws.
Tampa Bay Times - Better gun background checks 'makes sense,' key Florida Republican says A top state Republican state senator said Monday that closing loopholes in the state's gun background check system "makes the most sense" for lawmakers to tackle this legislative session.
"Of all the things I've reviewed, and all the ideas that have come forward, that's the one that seems to me to make the most common sense, not just to me, but to the average Floridian," said Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa. View Quote Rick Swearingen, the commissioner for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, then jumped in to say that he doubted enhanced background checks would make a difference at stopping a mass shooting.
"How does that help us in this scenario with mass shooters? I don't know that that makes a difference," Swearingen said. "I don't think, statistically, that changes the game here." View Quote "Does anybody think we have too many gun laws in Florida right now?" Lee asked.
No one on the panel raised their hands. Lee then mentioned that after the Parkland shooting, the Legislature broke decades of inaction on gun legislation by raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21. View Quote Florida's state Senate leader said he wanted to get to the root of the problem and assigned a legislative committee to draft new measures that might prevent other mass killings like the ones that killed 17 people in Parkland last year and 49 at a gay nightclub in Orlando two years earlier. View Quote "Does anyone here think we have too many gun laws in Florida?" asked Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, who chairs the Senate's committee on infrastructure and security.
No one responded. But Lee afterward said he was open to expanding background checks on gun buyers and looking into tweaking the state's so-called "red flag" laws to allow relatives, not just law enforcement, to seek a court order when they think a family member might pose a risk. "There's no silver bullet," he said. "We need to take a comprehensive approach." View Quote Following the Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano, a Republican, directed the committee to review what can be done to address white nationalism.
He called on his colleagues to "better understand the various factors involved in mass shootings." He specifically directed the Legislature's attention to white nationalism, which he said "appears to be a factor not only with regard to these recent mass shootings, but also with other acts of violence we have seen across the country in recent years." View Quote Florida's Department of Law Enforcement commissioner, Richard Swearingen, expressed doubt that banning any specific weapon would solve the spate of gun violence.
"If we focus on the behavior, it doesn't matter what weapon they use," he said. View Quote Gov. Ron DeSantis has directed the law enforcement agency to develop a threat assessment strategy focused on detecting warning signs that would enable authorities to thwart future mass violence.
"Deterrence is key," said the governor's spokeswoman, Helen Ferre. "Red flag warnings need to be taken seriously and information must be shared in an interagency manner to be most effective." View Quote Florida Republican calls for stronger gun background checks to curb mass violence After three hours of testimony from experts on Monday, the Republican head of a Florida Senate panel looking into mass violence and white nationalism suggested that increased background checks on gun sales might be the answer.
"Probably the thing that makes the most sense, if there is something to be done in the area of common-sense gun safety, would probably be an enhancement of some kind of background check system, to look and see where there are holes in that system and if there is room for improvement," Senate Infrastructure and Security Chairman Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa, told reporters. View Quote Swearingen eschewed the link between mental health issues and gun violence. While some assailants have a history of mental health problems, "it is rarely the key" to violent acts, he said.
"They don't snap. They decide," he said. "Most plan their attacks, days, months, even years in advance." View Quote Swearingen extolled the "behavioral threat assessment model," which tracks such things as activity on the internet and social media posts, as the best way to identify people who pose the greatest danger.
Most shooters purchase or possess the weapons they use in committing acts of mass violence legally, or take the weapons from home, Swearingen told the panel, adding that there is a "huge gap" in the reasons perpetrators commit mass killings. "I don't care about the why. I don't care about the how. I don't care about the location," the head of the state law enforcement agency said. "None of that matters, if we focus on the observable behaviors that will let us prevent that in the first place." View Quote Sen. Annette Taddeo, D-Miami, pointed out that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bans the use of high-capacity magazines for shooting some game animals. "If we can cap magazine capacity to protect wildlife, why can't we cap it to protect human life?" she asked. View Quote FSU criminology professors Jillian Turanovic and Brendan Lantz said mass shootings are becoming deadlier, and that "public mass shooters" are often radicalized through online hate groups.
The internet can "increase destructive behavior" and "act like an echo chamber," Lantz said. "People feel more anonymous," he said, adding that the internet "facilitates the mobilization of groups." When pressed by Democrats, Turanovic said states that have the highest mass shootings "are the states that have the weakest gun laws, or the most lenient." View Quote At the end of the meeting, Lee said "there really is no silver bullet, excuse the pun," to the issue, but said the behavioral threat assessment model pitched by Swearingen and other law enforcement officials holds "a lot of promise."
"Law enforcement's recognizing that the future of some of this activity is going to be based on the internet. It's a new world we live in," he said. View Quote |
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This how the crap started in ny with the rhinos drag them out into the street and tar them.. they will get the message clearly if not your wasting your time
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The 2020 Legislative Session is right around the corner and right now the House and Senate are engaging in committee to discuss the crafting of legislation. As such, I'm back in the front row watching this happen live and in person at the Capitol.
Senate President Bill Galvano (R), the man who crafted the Post Parkland Gun Control Bill SB 7026 that former Governor Rick Scott signed into law after it passed the House and Senate via Supermajority GOP Support directed Sen. Tom Lee (R) to lead a Senate Workshop last week. Sen. Lee is the chair for the Senate Committee on Infrastructure and Security. That committee is five Republicans to three Democrats. But that doesn't matter. Sen. Lee was one of the few Republicans that did vote against SB 7026 back in May 2018 thankfully. So I hoped that he would run this workshop as a dog and pony show to appease Galvano and nothing more. But Sen. Pres. Galvano is not to be trusted. Sen. Lee told the Tampa Bay Times that when SB 7026 was crafted and passed it shock the core of the Republican Party of Florida's views on gun rights. "It definitely broke the seal." View Quote "Populism is a plague on the republic," said state Rep. James Grant, a Tampa Republican who leads the House subcommittee on Criminal Justice. "We have to be responsive to our constituents, we have to be listening to them, but this era of populism ... it sets up a tragic pathway forward. There comes a time in our society that public opinion consolidates so much around an issue that a representative democracy can no longer represent in denial," Lee said. "It will move or it will get replaced." View Quote My fear is that other Republicans wanting to stay in office will bend knee and kowtow to the masses and restrict our rights and it appears that I was correct. So what was the fallout from the meeting? Florida Republicans will probably back UBC and expanding Red Flag Laws. Tampa Bay Times - Better gun background checks 'makes sense,' key Florida Republican says; "Probably the thing that makes the most sense, if there is something to be done in the area of common-sense gun safety, would probably be an enhancement of some kind of background check system, to look and see where there are holes in that system and if there is room for improvement," Sen. Lee, told reporters. "Of all the things I've reviewed, and all the ideas that have come forward, that's the one that seems to me to make the most common sense, not just to me, but to the average Floridian," said Sen. Tom Lee, R-Thonotosassa. "Does anybody think we have too many gun laws in Florida right now?" Lee asked. No one on the panel raised their hands. Lee then mentioned that after the Parkland shooting, the Legislature broke decades of inaction on gun legislation by raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21. "There's no silver bullet," he said. "We need to take a comprehensive approach." View Quote He told the audience he would introduce the measure for the next legislative session that begins in January, which will be Simmons' last as a term-limited senator. The proposal as drafted would bar some individuals under age 25 from purchasing, possessing or selling assault weapons, which Simmons defined as firearms with a fixed or detachable magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition. "Given the circumstances now and over the last 15 to 20 years, we need to go ahead and do this," Simmons told the Orlando Sentinel. He was referring to the spate of mass shootings that have taken place, including at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016 and at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018. He said he was a strong believer in the Second Amendment, which he said was put in place so Americans could defend themselves against a tyrannical government and not just to allow access to guns for hunting or self-defense View Quote But, he added, "Thirty years ago, [issues with] assault-style weapons were not as common as today. We didn't have at-risk young men committing the kinds of crimes they're committing. I think we need to ensure they don't have access to assault-style weapons." View Quote Now, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida says that such legislation is dead on arrival. "It's unlikely that I would ever support anything like that," said state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. "In the present Legislature, I would say it has a zero percent chance." View Quote Gruters acknowledged the gun safety law passed after the Parkland shooting was also unlikely to have passed a GOP-controlled Legislature, "but I don't think there's an appetite to go down that path again." View Quote Democrats of course aren't leaving this stone left unturned. State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, who has proposed complete assault weapons bans each year since 2017, said he "immediately applauded" Simmons' announcement at the league event that he also attended. Simmons had described it there as a "ban." Smith said later he was disappointed in the many exceptions. But, he added, "I'm open to any restrictions on assault weapons. As always, the devil is in the details. I will continue to work with Sen. Simmons on his idea." View Quote SB 266 makes it to where a firearm must be locked in a safe or have a trigger lock on it when it is in the home. If this becomes law, you can't keep a gun at the ready in your home for personal protection. SB 134 repeals State Preemption and allows Political Subdivisions and Municipalities to pass their own gun control ordinances. Basically a city or county can pass an assault weapons ban or a magazine ban. They can also regulate gun ranges and gun shops out of existence. The following two bills piggyback off each other. They push UBC and end Private Sales. Also they restrict the "temporary" transfer of firearms to other parties even if they're family. If a firearm is to be transferred, a background must be done and a 4473 must be completed at a FFL. SB 94 ends private sales in the state and mandates that all transfers must go through a dealer. Also it mandates universal background checks. You can't even loan a family member a gun for more than 14 days. So that means if you're in the military or away from your home because of work. You can't have someone store your guns for you. SB 270 repeals the provisions that a dealer must release a firearm to a buyer after three business days if there is a delay in the background. Right now, if FDLE doesn't contact the dealer within three business days. The firearm can be released. This bill makes it to wear if FDLE never gives a confirmation, the gun can never be released. Also this bill limits the loaning of a firearm to family for 10 days. Here are the bills introduced in the House of Representatives. HB 117 makes it to where a person must have had a mental health evaluation conducted by a clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist before they can qualify for a CCW Permit. This is not cheap and brings up a question on what makes a person "rational" for a CCW permit. Mental Health is always about one's opinion over another and is never openly based on fact. It is all about "feeling". HB 6001 repealed the provisions that allows someone with a CCW to carry a taser or stun gun on a COllege or University Campus. The carrying of a firearm is already forbidden. So this would further disarm people. HB 6009 is just like SB 134. It repeals State Preemption and allows Political Subdivisions and Municipalities to pass their own gun control ordinances. Basically a city or county can pass an assault weapons ban or a magazine ban. They can also regulate gun ranges and gun shops out of existence. The only pro gun bill is HB 6003. It repeals the Gun Control passed in 2018 after Parkland. It basically guts SB 7026. No more Red Flag Orders, restores the rights of any Floridian under the age of 21 to buy a long gun, and repeals the Bump Stock Ban (even though on a Federal Level Bump Stocks are banned, Binary Triggers aren't. Which in FL they are due to SB 7026). So in the words of Samuel L. Jackson.... Hold Onto Your Butts Another legislative session is about to start and I firmly believe that we're in for some trouble. |
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BAWN received just half a million dollars from small donors this past month according to records from the Florida Department of State. As reported by Fox 35 News out of Orlando, FL;
Ban Assault Weapons NOW, the political committee behind the proposed constitutional amendment, drew more than 28,000 contributions totaling $595,000 in August, by far the largest amount in a single month since the committee was launched in March 2018. Nearly 12,000 of the contributions were $5 or less, the campaign report shows. Also, more than 5,000 were for $10. With 105,000 valid petition signatures submitted so far, the group has surpassed the number needed to spur a Florida Supreme Court review of the proposed amendment's wording. The committee needs 766,200 valid signatures to make it onto the 2020 ballot. View Quote August's largest contribution $50,000, on Aug. 23 came from Americans for Gun Safety Now, a political organization based in Virginia that was founded by Al Hoffman, a former finance chairman for the Republican National Committee who lives in North Palm Beach. View Quote a) Assault Weapons For purposes of this subsection, any semiautomatic rifle or shotgun capable of holding more than ten (10) rounds of ammunition at once, either in a fixed or detachable magazine, or any other ammunition-feeding device. This subsection does not apply to handguns. b) Semiautomatic For purposes of this subsection, any weapon which fires a single projectile or a number of ball shots through a rifled or smooth bore for each single function of the trigger without further manual action required. View Quote c) Ammunition-feeding device For purposes of this subsection, any magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device for a firearm. View Quote The petition is so vague that the Florida Attorney General is currently trying to keep it from reaching the ballot and of course the gun grabbers are claiming that her attempts to prevent it from reaching the ballot are false. Moody has four specific complaints. First, she states that the ballot title and summary are defective in not being broad enough. The title refers to "defined assault weapons." The summary defines assault weapons as "semiautomatic rifles and shotguns or detachable magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in a fixed or detachable magazine, or any other ammunition-feeding device." She complains that the fact that this "would ban almost every semiautomatic long gun" is not explained. Her objection is not valid. The whole point of a semiautomatic gun is to be able to fire multiple shots, almost all of which can fire more than 10 rounds (with the exception of the traditional double-barrel shotgun), so neither the title nor the summary is misleading. The second complaint is that the title and summary do not explain that someone who owns a banned gun when the amendment takes effect is exempt from the ban only if the owner registers it with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This objection also is not valid. The title states that the amendment bans possession of "defined assault weapons," while the summary states that the exemption "requires the registration of assault weapons lawfully possessed" before the effective date of the amendment. It is hardly a fatal defect that neither says with whom the registration must be filed. The third objection is that, while the amendment has a 30-day delay between adoption and taking effect, the "ballot language" does not state that during that period a person can buy an assault-type weapon and come within the pre-owned exemption. Again, this is not a valid objection. The ballot language does provide for the 30-day delay in the effective date. This necessarily means a weapon bought in the delay period is not banned by the amendment. There is no reason why the ballot language must expressly state this. Moody's last objection is that the amendment not only provides that a violation of the amendment is a third-degree felony, the Legislature can increase the penalty. Although the ballot language does expressly provide for the possible increase, the summary states only that the amendment creates "criminal penalties" for a violation of it. The summary clearly puts voters on notice that it provides for the plural "penalties," not just one penalty, and one of those penalties is that the Legislature can increase it. View Quote "Our strong August fundraising is a message from Floridians and concerned individuals across the country that we simply have to do something about the terror and devastation that military-style assault weapons can cause in our communities. Unfortunately, the catalyst for this outpouring of support was largely the back-to-back incidents of mass murder we all witnessed in horror over a single weekend in August," Ben Pollara, senior adviser to Ban Assault Weapons NOW, told The News Service of Florida in a text message Thursday. View Quote |
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The minimum purchase age of 25 years is very dangerous. Rights and legality aside (not minimizing it though), that would be incredibly destructive to the hobby and shooting sports.
Edit: It's hard to believe that any of these measures are even being discussed seriously. How far the gunshine state has fallen. |
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I don't believe they got that much from "small donors" I would bet the small donors are Bloomberg and Soros. We truly need to get on the offensive and have our own ballot initiative that end ballot initiatives everyone I know hates them.
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Galvano is out in 2020 as Senate President and Sen. Wilton Simpson is in. He is a former Republican Senate Majority Leader and claims to be the actual author of SB 7026 even though Galvano was the one who submitted the bilm that Rick Zcott eventually signed into law. He's an established FL Egg Farmer and has numerous contacts with FL Republicans and Democrats along with FL Businesses.
We aren't getting anything done for a while with the Establishment running the show. Furthermore, my contacts tell me that DeSantis spends most of his time playing golf (to the point he turned one of the garages at the Governor's Mansion into a golf simulator) and is pretty much a lame duck. |
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This thread makes me nervous that I moved down here. Left shitcago thinking things would be better down here. WTF
And yes I am conservative and hate high taxes.. my voting record is nothing to worry about. I am a retired Union firefighter.. was the worst union member ever. |
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Having watched our local state reps on TV a few years ago, I realized that they are just a bunch of Florida good ol' boys living it up. They don't give a shit, and any real dedicated politicians, like the New England democrats, are going to decimate them. We need some serious republicans who care enough to fight for us.
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Prop 1 - Citizenship Requirement to Vote in Florida Elections
This amendment provides that only United States Citizens who are at least eighteen years of age, a permanent resident of Florida, and registered to vote, as provided by law, shall be qualified to vote in a Florida election. Prop 2 - Raising Florida's Minimum Wage Raises minimum wage to $10.00 per hour effective September 30th, 2021. Each September 30th thereafter, minimum wage shall increase by $1.00 per hour until the minimum wage reaches $15.00 per hour on September 30th, 2026. From that point forward, future minimum wage increases shall revert to being adjusted annually for inflation starting September 30th, 2027. Prop 3- All Voters Vote in Primary Elections for State Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for state legislature, governor, and cabinet regardless of political party affiliation. All candidates for an office, including party nominated candidates, appear on the same primary ballot. Two highest vote getters advance to general election. If only two candidates qualify, no primary is held and winner is determined in general election. Candidate's party affiliation may appear on ballot as provided by law. Effective January 1, 2024. None of the Legalize Recreational Marijuana Petitions have gathered the required amount of signatures (over 760k) to make it to the 2020 Ballot. Additionally, the Assault Weapons Ban Petition has not reached the required amount of signatures either. The AWB Petition hasn't broken 160k signatures yet and the deadline is February 2020. Now, going to open primaries will be interesting and dangerous for the Republican Party of FL. This is clearly an attempt to weaken their hold in FL. The Minimum Wage Petition is self explanatory and we know that's going to cause problems. The RPoF will especially hate it since right now $15 is what a State Trooper makes, $13 is what a State Correctional Officer makes, and plenty of other State Jobs pay less than that. The Citizenship Requirement for Voting in FL is already law, but this will cement it into the State Constitution. |
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The State of the 2nd Amendment in Florida in 2020.
With Florida's new 60 Day Legislative Session starting on January 14th. The questions being asked of course what the mood in the Capitol in regards to the 2nd Amendment. Of course Democratic Lawmakers are pushing for and filing Anti-Gun Bills like magazine bans, assault weapon bans, the end of State Preemption laws, the repeal of self defense laws, etc. But the real question is what are Florida's Republicans supporting and backing? After all, the Republican Party of Florida has a supermajority in the House and Senate. So what's the word? It is quite simple actually. Nothing. While Rep. Anthony Sabatini has introduced an Open Carry Bill and a College/University Campus Carry Bill. There is little support outside the House for it. Why? Because Senate President Bill Galvano is still pushing for Universal Background Checks. "There are myriad things in play, but the background checks are very much being looked at," Galvano, R-Bradenton, told The News Service of Florida in a recent interview.
Galvano pointed to what is known as the "gun-show loophole," which allows people who buy firearms to avoid the three-day waiting period and background check required when guns are purchased from federally licensed dealers. "I think we need to really take a look at that," he said. WJCT News View Quote What came out of that committee meeting was Sen. Lee saying he personally could support more background checks. "Of all the things I've reviewed, and all the ideas that have come forward, that's the one that seems to me to make the most common sense, not just to me, but to the average Floridian." Tampa Bay Times, September 2019 View Quote Luckily, it appears that the House might hold the line and prevent Sen. Galvano's goals from being achieved. "They (House members) are very pro-Second Amendment and they're going to be very hostile towards gun control or gun restrictions because they know that gun control and gun restrictions aren't the answer," state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the-Hills, told the News Service in a telephone interview.
"There's no rational relationship" between gun violence and gun-control laws, Sabatini said, expressing an opinion shared by many of his House Republican colleagues. "It's what I call a red herring," Sabatini, a lawyer, said. View Quote Rep. Cord Byrd, a Neptune Beach Republican and attorney who specializes in Second Amendment law, said Florida, like other states, has plenty of statutes governing firearms.
"Most of the time when we pass new gun legislation, because there's a ton of law already on the books, it ends up infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens," Byrd told the News Service. "The criminals by definition are going to break the law anyway." Byrd, whose clients includes people fighting risk protection orders, said Florida's red-flag law has "got problems." "It needs to be fixed. It does not need to be expanded," he said. "It's ruined people's lives. People have lost jobs. I'm not saying we don't need a mechanism in place, but the mechanism we have now needs to be improved. Byrd also said expanding background checks for gun sales -- which he said results in litigation that comprises the bulk of his work -- isn't the solution, either. The background checks "are only as good as the data" in the state and national databases used to conduct the screenings, Byrd said. "There are a lot of people that have to hire an attorney to get mistakes that are in the background system fixed," he said. "It sounds good, but time after time after time in these shootings these are people that have passed the background check." View Quote BAWN is burning money like crazy, they've spent more than $17,700 on printing petitions that come pre-filled with a voter's name, address and voter registration number, and can be sent back to them via prepaid postage. But even that is a hard pill to swallow for BAWN. It is January 9th as I write this, they still haven't mailed out the petitions yet. To put it bluntly, they only have 17% of the petitions they need signed. So it appears that 2020's ballot will be gun control free come November. Now, that doesn't mean the fight is over. Patti Brigham, president of the Florida League of Women Voters and committee member of Ban Assault Weapons Now, said the mailers are just an example of how important it is to "make the public aware that this initiative is critical to the safety of all Floridians."
She said while they are trying to remain optimistic, they plan on continuing the campaign into the next election cycle if they don't make it to the 2020 ballot. "We're just doing anything we can to get petitions signed," she said. Tampa Bay Times View Quote Additionally, a number of Florida's Cities have filed a lawsuit against the State's Preemption Law and claim that the personal fiscal penalty levied against City and County officials is unconstitutional if they violate State Law by passing local laws and ordinances that institute gun control. Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with local governments against the gun law in July of 2019. He addressed a concern for protecting governmental officials in their decision-making processes with a "legislative immunity".
"Because local governments must have what amount to small legislatures, and because courts cannot interfere in legislative processes, neither this court, nor any other court in Florida, can enforce the civil penalty provisions (of the law) against local legislators," Dodson said. The Capitolist View Quote Lawyers for Attorney General Ashley Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis took the case to the Tallahassee-based 1st District Court of Appeals, and in a brief last month, cited a "hierarchical relationship" between state and local governments and pointed out the Florida Constitution "subjugates local governments' authority to that of the Florida Legislature." View Quote |
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Tougher Gun Laws Could Cause Florida Legislative Divide |
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***January 14, 2020 Update***
Sen. Tom Lee of the Senate's Committee on Infrastructure and Security brought up SPB 7028 yesterday. The committee is made up of eight members, five Republicans, three Democrats. All voted unanimously for SPB 7028 and passed the proposal, making it an official bill. Click here for the video of the Committee Meeting. This bill is Senate President Galvano's pride and joy. Remember when I said early last year Sen. Galvano tasked Sen. Lee to look at ways to "stop mass shootings". Well, this is the result. It started as a proposed committee bill. This means it wasn't introduced by a single Senator and instead was the creation of the Senate itself. The glossary of the FL State Senate states a PCB is a "proposal that may represent a mandated review, repeal scheduled by law, or, with the Senate President's prior approval, an additional subject of broad committee significance as determined by the committee chair. When the idea is expanded, is drafted in bill form, receives a favorable vote by the committee, and is filed, it becomes a bill." SPB 7028 is Universal Background Checks and the expansion of Red Laws. The summary of the bill states the following. PROPOSED BILL by Infrastructure and Security Public Safety; Requiring emergency medical technicians and paramedics to disclose certain confidential communications to law enforcement agencies to communicate a threat under certain circumstances; requiring specified licensees, rather than psychiatrists, to disclose certain confidential communications to law enforcement agencies to communicate a threat under certain circumstances; authorizing a person who is not a licensed importer, a licensed manufacturer, or a licensed dealer and who chooses to not use a licensed importer, a licensed manufacturer, or a licensed dealer to facilitate a private sale of his or her firearm to sell the firearm if he or she complies with specified requirements, etc. View Quote Florida officially has a Republican backed Universal Background Bill in play. Let's see if the House will stand fast. |
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Thanks for keeping this updated. Seems like we are on the track for VA
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SPB 7028 passed over the strong objections of Marion Hammer (NRA), who called it;
"nothing less than gun control on steroids." View Quote "I empathize that any time somebody breaks the law, we come in and pass something, and law-abiding citizens are imposed upon. I get it, this committee bill is our best effort to try to improve public safety on the margins here, it is not a perfect system. I know that you don't see NRA members in the headlines of these mass shootings. But we have a job to do. We can't just sit by idly while our children are killing children and pretend this isn't happening." View Quote This bill lacks a companion measure in the House. Sen. Lee said House leaders are "well aware we're working on this." since this is a Senate measure and is Senate President Galvano's top priority. Sen. Lee stated; "Frankly, a lot of this is going to happen president-to-speaker and work down from there. But they're very well aware that this is a priority for the president." View Quote Requires that during a private sale, the seller would be required to check the person's ID to make sure they're legally allowed to own the weapon and fill out a form recording the transaction. The form would include a list of questions for the buyer, such as whether they're a felon, a fugitive from justice, or have anything else in their history that would prevent them from owning a gun. The seller would then confirm that they have "no knowledge or reason to believe that the purchaser is of unsound mind." The form would have to be witnessed and signed by a notary public, but the bill doesn't require the seller to do anything with the form. Sen. Lee said it would be in the seller's "best interests" to hold on to the form indefinitely, "should this weapon ultimately get used in the commission of a crime." Not filling out the forms would be a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail. Requires that loaded firearms be securely stored to prevent anyone under the age of 18 from accessing them. The current age in the law is 16. The penalty is still a second-degree misdemeanor, carrying up to 60 days in jail. Requires that loaded firearms also be kept securely stored to prevent anyone of "unsound mind" from accessing them. The penalty is also second-degree misdemeanor. Requires paramedics and other emergency medical workers to report to police people who are a danger to themselves or the public. The provision currently exists for mental health workers. Assigns the Florida Department of Law Enforcement with creating a statewide "threat assessment" system to prevent active shooters and assigns the department 37 full-time positions and nearly $6 million. |
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Spoke with my contact within the RPoFL. The party has reformed the 2nd Amendment Action Committee and my contact is now running it. The Committee reached out to House Speaker Oliva and Gov. DeSantis. Neither back this.
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Quoted:
Spoke with my contact within the RPoFL. The party has reformed the 2nd Amendment Action Committee and my contact is now running it. The Committee reached out to House Speaker Oliva and Gov. DeSantis. Neither back this. View Quote |
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Please keep us informed, and let us common folks know what we need to be doing. I for one sure as hell don't want Florida to become the next Virginia.
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Governor Ron DeSantis is voicing his lack of support for this bill.
DeSantis appeared skeptical of the proposal to close the gun-show "loophole" by requiring background checks and a three-day waiting period for firearms sold at gun shows, saying screenings are already being performed by "anyone selling firearms at any of those tables." "So, when they say that to me, I don't really know what it is. I know there are talking points, but the fact of the matter is that anyone who is selling firearms is going to have to do background checks, unless it's just a private sale. But you're not going to have a table at a gun show on a private sale," the Republican governor told reporters Tuesday. CBS 12 News West Palm Beach View Quote Oliva seemed even more dubious, telling reporters that the House is "always very careful when we in any way start to infringe on those things that people consider their constitutional rights." "If you talked to the sheriffs around the state, they will tell you that our red-flag laws that we passed before they were even named red-flag laws after Parkland have already saved lives. These are the areas that we have to be looking to. There is no proof that a person's ability to get a weapon affects their ability to use it. And so we have to be very careful when we once again look to trample on people's constitutional rights," Oliva, R-Miami Lakes, said. CBS 12 News West Palm Beach View Quote "It's important that we look at these issues in their totality. That's what we set out to do. That's what I told the people of Florida that we would do. And certainly, there is a balance, and there is a realistic anticipation of outcome that comes into play. But I think the committee's been doing good work and I'm going to continue to support it," Galvano, R-Bradenton, said. When asked about the difficulty in reaching a compromise on the always-thorny issue of guns, given the positions expressed by Oliva and DeSantis, Galvano acknowledged that "a give and take" exchange of ideas is part of the legislative process. "And it's incumbent upon the sponsors of bills and members of bodies to explain and to make the correct arguments," Galvano said. "If you would have said to me three years ago that we were going to do what we did two years ago in the wake of Parkland, I would have said, boy, that's going to be a really difficult lift in the Legislature I've lived in for many, many years."- CBS 12 News West Palm Beach View Quote |
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Some Florida Republicans At It Again. Gun Control For Thee But Not For Me!
The Florida Senate Republicans under the authority of Michael Bloomberg loving Senate President Bill Galvano (R) have already voted once for a universal background check bill (SB 7028). It appears that there is a coordinated effort in both the House and Senate to pass another gun related bill. House Bill 183 introduced by Rep. Mel Ponder (R) and Senate Bill 1524 introduced by Sen. George Gainer (R); both titled their bills Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms. What exactly do these bills do? Well, they grant an exemption to Florida Lawmakers from the CCW ban. Currently under Statute 790.06(12)(a)(7); it is illegal for a licensed concealed weapons permit holder to carry at: 7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district. View Quote 7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district, except that nothing in this section precludes an elected member of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district licensed under this section from carrying a concealed weapon or firearm to a meeting of the governing body of which he or she is a member; View Quote The House's Criminal Justice Subcommittee will bring this bill up to a vote tomorrow. The committee is made up of five Democrats and ten Republicans. House Speaker Jose Oliva stated in regards to universal background checks that the House does not support that measure. Let's see where the House Republicans stand on this bill. Are they actually for equality under the color of the law or do they favor special exemptions and a creation of a noble class that rules over the plebeian peasantry? |
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Thanks for keeping us so well informed. I really appreciate you being on top of this...hopefully I can shake your hand one day.
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The FL House Criminal Subcommittee Passes HB 183, CCW Exemption for Lawmakers
FL House's Criminal Justice Subcommittee on 1/28/2020. Courtesy - The Florida Channel A I reported on Monday; the Florida House of Representative's Subcommittee on Criminal Justice was going to hear and vote on HB 183 (Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms) on Tuesday. And to top it off, this Subcommittee was under Republican Majority. Again, for those that don't know. HB 183 is a bill that would grant lawmakers and their municipal government partners in crime an exemption from the ban on carrying at government meetings. The House bill was introduced by Rep. Mel Ponder (R) and there is a companion bill in the State Senate. SB 1524, which was introduced by Sen. George Gainer (R). So how did the House Subcommittee vote? Courtesy - FL House of Representatives It passed 11 in favor to 3 against with 1 missed vote. Rep. Ramon Alexander (D), Rep. Mike Gottlieb (D), and Rep. Spencer Roach (R) voted against the bill. Rep. Dane Eagle (R) missed the vote but is marked as a yea in favor. You can watch the actual debate here. Again, it is so nice to see these elected officials perfectly representing the noble, egalitarian ideals that lawmakers espouse so strenuously during their campaigns for office (sarcasm). I guess it appears that some in office, possibly the majority in office, are not for equality under the law and instead they favor special exemptions for the anointed and creation of a noble class that rules over the plebeian peasantry. |
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Update from the Tallahassee Democrat
Article - Gun control effort may miss mark in Florida legislature As committees begin to wrap up their efforts just past the midway point in the legislative session, Sen. Tom Lee conceded the Senate's effort to impose stricter gun regulations has stalled. Senate President Bill Galvano earlier in the session called the gun legislation one of his chamber's priorities. But with House Speaker Jos Oliva and Gov. Ron DeSantis balking at any perceived slights to the National Rifle Association and the Second Amendment, the proposal appears doomed. The measure (SB 7028), sponsored by Lee, would close the gun-show "loophole," create a record-keeping system for private gun sales and set aside $5 million to establish a "statewide strategy for violence prevention," among other things. See article for more... |
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