Two controversial gun bills were passed in the Florida House today and move on to a hard road ahead in the Senate. The bill would also acknowledge that private employers can display written notices stating that possession of a firearm on their property is prohibited.
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And in preparing the bill late Tuesday for a final vote, the House voted 72-43 to tack on an amendment that would let lawmakers with concealed-carry licenses pack heat during legislative meetings and on the House floor.
The two measures are endorsed by the National Rifle Association and other gun-rights groups, but opponents cite numerous safety concerns.
By shelving the proposal, the Miami senator has all but killed the legislation for this year’s session, rendering an upcoming February 3 vote on campus carry’s sister bill in the House as mostly a symbolic gesture.
Republicans and moderate Democrats said the incidents cited weren’t relevant to the debate and they rejected the amendments as unnecessary, redundant or an infringement on residents’ Second Amendment rights.
“Just a guess of mine, without talking to anyone in the Senate, this bill is already hostile to begin with over there, and now add to the fact that they can carry guns in the Senate chamber, I hoping that that turns out to be poison pill”, Moskowitz sad.
“It was a sort of a very tragic reminder of what can happen when we have sanctuary policies and we certainly don’t want that to happen anywhere”, Metz said.
“Personally, I would never open carry”, he said.
Legislation meant to make it easier for victims of domestic violence to arm themselves cleared the House of Delegates Wednesday.
“In order for them to come up, they would need to come out of committee”. Wood said he sought the conceal-carry exemption for lawmakers out of equity, because “we allow the judiciary – an equal co-branch of government – to have that privilege”.
The House on Wednesday voted 80-38 for the sweeping measure sponsored by Rep. Larry Metz.
But Rep. Jimmie Smith, R-Inverness, had a firm rebuttal for critics: “This fear-mongering of allowing a mature adult to make a mature decision has to stop”.
“This open carry bill will not be a positive thing for many of our African-American men, said Rep. Mia Jones, D-Jacksonville”.
Rep. Joe Geller, an Aventura Democrat, called the bill “an assault on people who choose to immigrate to this great country of ours”.
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“Will we become numb to guns on campus and fights that break out and lives that are taken?”
