FLORIDA CARRY, INC. LEGISLATIVE ALERT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 26, 2011
SB 234 – Sen. Bogdanoff files OC crippling amendment AGAIN!
Members and friends,
If you have been keeping track of SB 234, you’ll remember that Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff (R-Fort Lauderdale) introduced an amendment to the Senate Judiciary Committee that would have stripped out the open carry provision of the bill in favor of subjective language that would exempt inadvertent exposure of one’s firearm as punishable under law. Realizing she didn’t have the votes necessary to get the amendment adopted, Sen. Bogdanoff withdrew the amendment.
On the eve of the floor vote of SB 234, Sen. Bogdanoff has again introduced the exact same language as a floor amendment. The amendment only addresses inadvertent exposure, and does nothing to improve other situations in which general open carry is the only solution. For example, the amendment would not legalize open carry when hiking, when entering or exiting a vehicle, when on any private property other than one’s own residence or place of business. Most troubling is the fact that the determination of what is “inadvertent” would remain in the hands of law enforcement.
The Florida Sheriffs Association is walking the halls of the Senate, lobbying heavily against the bill, saying that they cannot find any prosecutions on the books concerning accidental exposure. This is a small consolation to those who have been detained for hours, disarmed, handcuffed, proned out, held at gunpoint, and booked, only to be released when the State Attorney or District Attorney found no crime with which to pursue prosecution. In fact, just last week, an individual was “printing” in a Hillsborough county restaurant and a patron called in a “suspicious person” call. The individual was pulled over by four HCSO cruisers after leaving the restaurant, and was removed from the vehicle, disarmed, handcuffed, and detained while sitting on the curb AFTER PROVIDING HIS CWFL for over a half-hour. During this time, he was subjected to leading questions like, “What war are you preparing for?” and “Why do you feel you need to carry a
firearm?” He was told that the only reason he was being released rather than transported was because the caller incorrectly stated the firearm bulge was on his right side, and his firearm was on his left side.
This is exactly the type of situation open carry would eliminate. Imagine what would have happened had he had his children with him in the vehicle at the time?
Please take the time to contact the Senators below, and ask them to reject the amendment and vote on the bill based on its merits.
Feel free to use the e-mail helper below, and thank you again for your solid support.
E-mail Helper (feel free to cut, copy, paste, and edit to suit)
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