Gun Owners of America

Florida Campus Carry, Open Carry Bill Gutted Committee silences gun rights supporters A bill to expand the rights of Florida’s concealed carry permit holders was gutted in a Senate committee meeting this week. Before amendments were adopted, SB 234 would have allowed concealed weapons/firearms license (CWFL) holders to carry on college campuses. But after the testimony of the father of an FSU student who was killed in an incident off campus—and without any supporters of campus carry being allowed to testify—that provision was stripped from the bill. Had proponents of the bill not been muzzled, the Committee on Criminal Justice would have learned that Ashley Cowie’s tragic shooting was perpetrated by a student too young to obtain a CWFL and who may have been under the influence of alcohol. Moreover, the shooting occurred in an off-campus fraternity house where guns were banned, and the firearm was a rifle, not a concealable handgun. The amendment to strip campus carry by law-abiding adults passed this Wednesday without any of these facts being discussed at the public hearing, which was held in February. SB 234 also was intended to permit open carry by CWFL holders. But this provision was amended to require unnecessary and onerous restrictions on open carry, such as mandatory firearms retention training, the use of a special retention holster, and the display of the firearms license in proximity to the firearm being carried. These restrictions are not imposed on open carry anywhere in the country and are clearly designed to neuter the bill. Action: SB 234 is scheduled to come before the Criminal Justice Committee again on March 14. Please contact your own senator and urge him or her to insist that the bill be fixed before coming to the floor for a vote by the full senate. Click http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/Find to find your senator. Prewritten suggested message to cut and paste to your senator: Dear Senator, An important bill protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners has been gutted by the Criminal Justice Committee. SB 234 was intended to allow concealed weapons/firearms license (CWFL) holders to carry on college campuses, and also to be permitted to carry openly. The campus carry provision was stripped entirely, and the open carry provision was loaded down with unnecessary and burdensome restrictions. These amendments were adopted without full, fair and open debate at a public hearing. If you are on the Committee, please insist that changes be made to fix SB 234 at the next hearing, scheduled for March 14. If you are not a Committee member, please urge Senate President Mark Haridopolis to protect the right to keep and bear arms and to ensure that SB 234 receives a fair hearing so that its original intent may be restored. My note: Bay County, FL - check to see how Rep. Jimmy Patronis voted. This may be his last term.