WEATHER ALERT
Proposed concealed carry changes already facing opposition
Read full article: Proposed concealed carry changes already facing oppositionTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - There are now more than two million concealed carry license holders in Florida. Shortening a permit's validity will raise about 25 percent more revenue for the department; a fully staffed department that can only use that money on concealed carry permits. Retraining would cost concealed carry permit holders anywhere from $50 to $200. The reason for the wide range in costs for training for a concealed carry permit is because the state sets no standards for the training. Click here for a county-by-county breakdown of concealed carry permits.
Effort to call special session on gun control in Florida fails
Read full article: Effort to call special session on gun control in Florida failsNews Service of FloridaTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida Legislature will not return to the Capitol this year for a special session on guns. Florida Democrats had hoped to call lawmakers back to talk about stronger background checks and red flag laws. At the close of business Monday, 19 of 40 senators and 62 of 120 House members had said no to a special session on guns. So the state's gun control advocates are shifting their attention to Washington. While gun control advocates hope to change the minds of Florida's members of Congress, state Democrats still plan to file gun control legislation for the regular session in January and the Senate president has promised a thorough discussion.
Florida Senate resolves gun lobbyist complaint
Read full article: Florida Senate resolves gun lobbyist complaintTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After correcting four years of compensation reports for one of the entities she represents, Florida's top gun lobbyist Marion Hammer has been cleared of wrongdoing by the Florida Senate. Sen. Perry Thurston, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat, had filed the complaint against Hammer, accusing her of violating Senate lobbying rules for failing to report her compensation for more than a decade. Senate Rules Chairwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, a Fort Myers Republican, forwarded the complaint to Audrey Moore, general counsel for the Office of Legislative Services, which oversees lobbyist registration. The complaint was based upon reports by the Florida Bulldog, which stated Hammer claimed not to be a lobbyist for the NRA and failed to disclose payments since at least 2007. Short-circuiting that obligation leaves in high doubt the findings that we are presented with today.News Service of Florida
NRA lobbyist unloads on proposed assault weapons amendment
Read full article: NRA lobbyist unloads on proposed assault weapons amendmentGetty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida's top gun lobbyist took a second shot Thursday at a proposed constitutional amendment that seeks to prevent the possession and sale of assault weapons. The Financial Impact Estimating Conference is reviewing the potential economic impacts of the proposed amendment, as required by state law. At a July 30 meeting, the economists struggled to reach consensus on what the language of the proposed amendment means. The proposal would allow people who already own assault weapons at the time the constitutional amendment goes into effect to keep them, if they register the guns with state law enforcement. Apart from the court approval, Ban Assault Weapons NOW also needs to submit at least 766,200 valid petition signatures to the state.