Explore The NRA Universe Of Websites

APPEARS IN Legal & Legislation

Florida Alert: Matt Gaetz Never Quits Fighting for Second Amendment Rights

Sunday, February 28, 2016

DATE:   February 28, 2016
TO:       USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
  USF Executive Director 
  NRA Past President

 

As we begin the last two weeks of the 2016 Legislative Session, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R- Shalimar) is still standing up and fighting to get Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-Miami) to do the right thing and let the Open Carry bill be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee.  

As you recall, Sen. Diaz de la Portilla is stonewalling and deliberately refusing to give the committee and the full Senate an opportunity to vote on the bill.

An Opinion Editorial by Rep. Gaetz, calling for the bill to be heard was published today in the North West Florida Daily News.  Read it below and please thank Rep. Gaetz for continuing to fight for your rights.  [email protected]


NWFdailynews.com

GUEST COLUMN: 
Florida Senate should let debate begin on open carry


By REP. MATT GAETZ | Special to the Daily News
Posted Feb. 28, 2016 at 1:00 PM 

The organizing principle of my public service is Constitutional liberty. If government constrains itself to the Constitution, free markets, free enterprise and free people can thrive. Otherwise, we get catastrophic consequences like ObamaCare, lawless executive orders and a government that (often corruptly) picks winners and losers.

In a world of uncertainty, the Second Amendment to the Constitution is undeniably clear: The right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

Today, Florida is one of only five states infringing on the rights of citizens to "openly carry" handguns. That's right. Open carry is legal in various forms in 45 other states. Florida joins California, New York, Illinois and (oddly) South Carolina as the only states to totally prohibit open carry. Thirty states do not require a license, while 15 do.

Weeks ago the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill I authored allowing Floridians with concealed carry permits to openly carry in a holster. It was a bipartisan 80-36 vote. The bill was endorsed by the Florida Police Chief's Association, Unified Sportsmen of Florida and the National Rifle Association. The Florida Chamber of Commerce helped draft provisions to allow private property owners to prohibit open carry if they choose.

Then, the Senate Judiciary Chairman killed it. He refused to even allow a vote on open carry, likely because the bill would have passed. No one Senator should have the right to unilaterally block critical legislation from even having a vote - especially when constitutional rights are implicated.

There is no constitutional, statistical or rational basis to disallow open carry in Florida. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's own data, in open carry states you are:

  23 percent less likely to be the victim of violent crime

  5 percent less likely to be murdered

  38 percent less likely to be the victim of armed robbery, and

  23 percent less likely to be the victim of aggravated assault.

Open carry is not a utopian solution to violence. Many factors impact crime rates. But, reasonable people cannot disagree on the statistical fact that open carry does not increase violence.

I find it compelling that concealed carry permit holders are remarkably law-abiding. According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime data, permit holders are six times less likely to commit crimes than law enforcement officers.

If I am elected to serve in the Senate next year, I'll again file much needed open carry legislation. I'll also pursue changes to Florida Senate rules to allow for more transparent debate on the issues facing Florida.

Florida should be an open carry state. The Florida Senate should let the debate begin. I'm ready for it.

Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2010 and has been subsequently reelected three times. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee and currently chairs the Finance & Tax Committee.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/opinion/20160228/guest-column-florida-senate-should-let-debate-begin-on-open-carry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THIS ARTICLE
Florida Open Carry Campus Carry
TRENDING NOW
Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Nancy Pelosi: Pro-Gun Voters Made an Impact

Congratulations NRA members and other pro-gun voters! Once again, our votes helped make the difference.

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Bloomberg’s Mayors, Back in the News!

Just a few short weeks ago, we wrote about Michael Bloomberg’s controversy-dogged gun control organization, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), and how another high-ranking member of the group had been indicted for allegedly committing serious ...

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Federal District Court Strikes Down IL’s “Assault Weapon” and “Large-Capacity Magazine” Bans in NRA-Supported Case

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois struck down provisions of the Protect Illinois Communities Act (PICA) that prohibit “assault weapons” and “large-capacity magazines” in an NRA-supported case, Barnett v. Raoul.

Make Crime Illegal Again

News  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Make Crime Illegal Again

While less prominent than the red sweep of the nation’s electoral map and the triumph of President Donald Trump, another telling development following the 2024 elections was the number of Californians in ultra-progressive strongholds who ...

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Friday, November 15, 2024

NRA Files Amicus Brief Arguing that Washington’s Magazine Ban Violates the Second Amendment

Today, NRA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court of the State of Washington in a challenge to Washington’s prohibition on magazines that hold over 10 rounds.

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Friday, November 15, 2024

Michigan: Take Action Against "Gun-Free Zone" Bills Today!

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety SB 857 and SB 858 with amendments and the bills will now be eligible for votes on the Senate floor. Please use the take action button below and ...

PREFILING OF LEGISLATION BEGINS IN TEXAS FOR THE 2025 SESSION

Friday, November 15, 2024

PREFILING OF LEGISLATION BEGINS IN TEXAS FOR THE 2025 SESSION

Prefiling of legislation for the 2025 Regular Session of the Texas Legislature began on Tuesday.  Within the first three days, more than 75 firearm-related bills had been filed, the majority of which were anti-gun measures ...

Michigan: House of Representatives to Take Important Vote on Anti-Gun Bills

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Michigan: House of Representatives to Take Important Vote on Anti-Gun Bills

Tomorrow, the Michigan House of Representatives is expected to vote on two packages of anti-gun bills. Use the take action button below to contact your Representative and urge them to oppose these anti-gun bills!  

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

Take Action  

Monday, November 18, 2024

Grassroots Spotlight: North Carolina Grassroots

The North Carolina NRA-ILA Grassroots Team recently held an NRA “Day of Action” event to coincide with the start of early voting in the Tarheel State, and to encourage our Second Amendment community to “Get Out and Vote”!

Michigan: Senate Committee to Vote on Expanding Gun-Free Zones

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Michigan: Senate Committee to Vote on Expanding Gun-Free Zones

Tomorrow, the Senate Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety will take up SB 857 and SB 858. These bills would dramatically expand “gun-free zones” in the state and drastically limit where those with a concealed pistol ...

MORE TRENDING +
LESS TRENDING -

More Like This From Around The NRA

NRA ILA

Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.