Three separate bills have been filed seeking to restrict the ability of the government to regulate firearms in Florida, and a rash of recent shootings serve for some as further confirmation of their argument that more guns will ultimately keep us safe. #
Senate Criminal Justice Chairman Greg Evers, R-Baker, authored two of the controversial pieces of legislation, which seek to allow those with concealed weapons permits to wear their firearms openly, even on college campuses and private schools, while also denying physicians the ability to inquire about the presence of firearms in their patients’ homes. A third bill would forbid local governments from passing their own gun control laws. #
Those pushing for the proposed legislation — filed prior to the Tucson, Ariz., shooting that left six dead and seriously wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others — claim relaxing gun control laws would help prevent such acts in the future. #
A recent string of unrelated shootings, in which two police offers were killed in both Miami and St. Petersburg, as well as an accidental shooting that left a Florida State University student dead earlier this month, have only served to heat up the rhetoric that more guns are a good thing. #
Evers recently told the News-Press: #
“I have no reservations about pushing the bill; we are one of four states that doesn’t have open-carry. It’s the right thing to do,” said Evers, a Republican from Baker in Northwest Florida. “The only way to stop a perpetrator is with equal force.” #
The National Rifle Association has thrown its powerful lobbying support behind the measures, which could mean the bills will likely face little resistance from a legislature that seems sympathetic to Second Amendment. Gov. Rick Scott also supported the measure during his campaign, and a spokesman recently noted that the massacre in Tucson has not changed his position. #
The Herald reports: #
“The gun lobby has a stranglehold on Tallahassee,” said Rep. Ari Porth, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat and career prosecutor. “I ran for office to keep the public safe, and what we do in the Florida Legislature with guns isn’t good for public safety.” #
But a majority of the Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, don’t see it that way. Many adhere to the maxim that if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. #
“I don’t think that there’s any amount of gun control that would have stopped some of the tragic events that we’ve seen,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who’s sponsoring legislation to clarify an old state law that bars local governments from regulating guns. #
“It’s unfortunate,” he said, “that anytime there’s a tragedy people come out of the woodwork with their agendas.”
Several police chiefs from universities around the state have questioned the logic of allowing students to carry weapons on campus. Utah is currently the only state in the country without a gun ban on college campuses. Florida State University Chief of Police David Perry told the school newspaper: #
“From the perspective of a campus law enforcement administrator, I have to stand opposed to any legislation that would bring weapons to campus for those other than law enforcement,” Perry said. #
“The university exercised their right to prohibit weapons from being permitted on campus. If someone has a weapon on our property, it is a violation of the law.” #
In an interview with the Herald, Perry added: #
“You have young people still learning how to be adults, and unfortunately alcohol and drugs are part of that equation on campus,” Perry said. “This is a place of learning and nurturing and you shouldn’t be put in a position where you feel intimidated by someone walking around with a gun.” #
Physicians are also raising concerns that their First Amendment rights will be violated should they be legally bound to not solicit information about firearms in the homes of their patients, common inquiry doctors use to stress child safety, alongside questions about swimming pools. #
