NRA Slams Florida Sheriffs Association on Open Carry Bill | Sunshine State News

November 11, 2015 - 8:30pm

Laws set to ease up on gun control in Florida may not have passed through the Florida Legislature yet, but they're already pitting gun groups against each other in a bitter battle over whether or not the state will be safer if more concealed carry permit holders can carry their guns in public places.

A bill from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Shalimar, and Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, are working in tandem on a proposal which would allow concealed carry permit holders to openly carry their firearms in Florida.

The father and son duo says Florida should join the 45 other states which allow open carry and say permit holders should be allowed to carry their guns since they are already well-trained in firearm proficiency.

Thirty states do not require any license to carry unconcealed and 15 states allow concealed permit holders to choose to carry openly or concealed at their own discretion.

But some groups like the Florida Sheriffs Association, which represents sheriffs statewide, have already come out in vehement opposition to the legislation. The FSA has voiced several concerns with the bill, saying it is too broad and doesn't have enough limits.

The FSA also said the new law would make it difficult for police officers to ensure public safety and criticized the bills for omitting gun training and holstering requirements. A survey conducted by the group found 70 percent of sheriffs statewide are opposed to the bill. The Palm Beach Post reported 47 of the state’s 67 sheriffs were opposed to the legislation.

Some sheriffs are still in support of the legislation, but the group on the whole is not on board with open carry in general.

The FSA's opposition to open carry gathered the attention of the National Rifle Association, which has been a staunch advocate of the bill in recent months. The NRA has already lashed out at the Florida Sheriffs Association, with former NRA president Marion Hammer criticizing the organization for perpetuating "false information" about the new legislation.

Hammer recently penned an op-ed in the Tallahassee Democrat, slamming the FSA for "erroneous claims" regarding the proposed legislation.

The NRA says the bill is sound and has many restrictions which make open carry generally safe for Florida. The group defended the legislation, rebuffing claims that the law lacked limits for how or where firearms could be carried.

"Only a person with a license to carry concealed will be allowed to carry openly," Hammer wrote. "Further, the FSA spokesman knows a clarification amendment has been added to the bill just to stop false claims."

Hammer also tried to debunk the FSA claim that open carry wouldn't work in Florida and isn't working in states where it's legal.

"Opponents have presented no evidence that open carry isn’t working in any state and no evidence of problems in any state," she wrote. "Simply because different states have variations in their laws does not in any way alter the fact that open-carry is working."

Hammer also took issue with the FSA's claim that Florida wasn't like other states demographically, saying the majority of Americans live in open-carry states, so Florida wouldn't be much of a unique case of increased gun violence.

"Seventy percent of the American public live in open-carry states," she said. "Many of the 45 open-carry states have large and diverse cities just like Florida, and where you live geographically, whether it’s Trilby, Fla., or Fanning Springs, Fla., you have the same constitutional rights as citizens who live in Miami, Tampa or Orlando."

Other gun groups are rallying in support of the bill. Pro-gun group Florida Carry started an online petition to Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature asking them to legalize open carry in Florida.

Rep. Matt Gaetz says the legislation is important for strengthening Floridians' right to bear arms and is necessary for concealed carry permit holders to exercise their Second Amendment freedoms.

"[I'd] like to see Florida on the list of states that enhances peoples’ rights, makes people stronger,” said Rep. Gaetz on the bill.

The legislation has already flown through several committees, passing easily despite being the subject of intense debate.

Both the Senate and House versions of the legislation will hit the Florida Legislature in January for the 2016 regular legislative session.