NRA and Florida Sheriffs Association Duke It Out Over Gun Evacuation Bill

A new chapter in the battle between the National Rifle Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association developed on Tuesday, with a new email from former NRA president Marion Hammer cranking up the heat on the FSA over a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, that died during the 2014 legislative session.

On Monday, an Associated Press story said Hammer sent a letter to NRA members and Unified Sportsmen of Florida claiming the FSA had "declared war on the Second Amendment."The comments drew criticism from the FSA, who said they were "personally and professionally offended by her statements" over a gun bill that died in the 2014 legislative session. The bill would have allowed people to legally carry a firearm without a concealed weapons permit during a mandatory evacuation.

An amendment backed by the FSA had dire consequences for the bill in the Senate, and the bill died.

Tweets from AP's Gary Fineout said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the Sheriffs Association president, said "that one reason thebill died was Marion Hammer did not want to cooperate and that she wanted a vague bill."

Hammer responded:

"For the record, the Florida Sheriffs Association president could not have possibly known what Marion Hammer wanted or did not want. He never bothered to ask me. He never had the courtesy to talk to me. He never had the courtesy to tell me that the Florida Sheriffs Association was going to try to either gut or kill the NRA-supported bills.

They sent their contract lobbyist to try to get me to sacrifice your Second Amendment rights and your right of self-defense for the convenience of law enforcement. I refused.

What happened after that was an orchestrated effort to give a false impression of what the bill provided."

Hammer reiterated that nothing in the bill would allow a person to "walk around with concealed guns -- even if they do not have concealed weapons permits -- during riots or natural disasters."

She continued:

"When anyone says we would not 'cooperate' with the Florida Sheriffs Association, it is only partially true. We refused to give up or diminish your Second Amendment rights to make them happy. We don't view that as refusing to cooperate. We view that as standing strong to protect your Second Amendment rights against those who put their convenience above the Constitution.

"As members of the NRA and USF you have a right to know what happened. Our newsletters tell you what happened. The fact that they fall into the hands of our opponents on Second Amendment issues, is beyond our control. However, they are not secret and are not intended to be secret. We will continue to keep you informed."