Mike
Site Co-Founder
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-b...ill-passes-florida-house-subcommittee/2248573
SNIP
Gun owners in Florida with concealed-carry permits are one step closer to getting the right to openly carry those weapons in public, under legislation that cleared a House subcommittee today by a 8-4 vote.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who introduced HB 163, said it “restores and vindicates” Second Amendment rights and promotes public safety. But critics of the proposal said it should, at a minimum, include better training requirements and also better protect property owner’s rights if they don't want weapons in their homes or businesses.
Those who are in total opposition said an open-carry law in Florida would instill fear, rather than calm.
. . .
Florida is one of only five states and the District of Columbia, which prohibit openly carrying firearms and other restricted weapons.
. . .
Don Gaetz said Florida used to be an open-carry state until the late 1980s and better mental health services should be the solution to combat gun violence.
“It is never the case that the answer to an abuse of liberty is to restrict liberty; the answer is to deal with the abuse in a targeted fashion,” Don Gaetz said.
But some House Democrats said the bill should include “sensible measures” to try to keep firearms out of the hands of those with mental health problems, and it also should include stricter training requirements for permit-holders.
. . .
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, speaking for himself, praised [open carry] as a helpful tool in crime prevention.
“This comes down to giving our citizens the immediate ability to protect themselves,” he said.
The Florida Chamber said it supports the bill but wants more assurances that private property rights will be protected. Gun-rights advocates said the bill doesn't prohibit private property owners from banning guns on their land as they're able to do now.
"This doesn’t change who carries or where they carry, only how they carry," said Eric Friday, a lobbyist for the gun-rights group Florida Carry.
. . .
SNIP
Gun owners in Florida with concealed-carry permits are one step closer to getting the right to openly carry those weapons in public, under legislation that cleared a House subcommittee today by a 8-4 vote.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, who introduced HB 163, said it “restores and vindicates” Second Amendment rights and promotes public safety. But critics of the proposal said it should, at a minimum, include better training requirements and also better protect property owner’s rights if they don't want weapons in their homes or businesses.
Those who are in total opposition said an open-carry law in Florida would instill fear, rather than calm.
. . .
Florida is one of only five states and the District of Columbia, which prohibit openly carrying firearms and other restricted weapons.
. . .
Don Gaetz said Florida used to be an open-carry state until the late 1980s and better mental health services should be the solution to combat gun violence.
“It is never the case that the answer to an abuse of liberty is to restrict liberty; the answer is to deal with the abuse in a targeted fashion,” Don Gaetz said.
But some House Democrats said the bill should include “sensible measures” to try to keep firearms out of the hands of those with mental health problems, and it also should include stricter training requirements for permit-holders.
. . .
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, speaking for himself, praised [open carry] as a helpful tool in crime prevention.
“This comes down to giving our citizens the immediate ability to protect themselves,” he said.
The Florida Chamber said it supports the bill but wants more assurances that private property rights will be protected. Gun-rights advocates said the bill doesn't prohibit private property owners from banning guns on their land as they're able to do now.
"This doesn’t change who carries or where they carry, only how they carry," said Eric Friday, a lobbyist for the gun-rights group Florida Carry.
. . .