GUN OWNERS--FLORIDA CARRY LEGISLATIVE ALERT

SB 234 - FL Senate Committee on Criminal Justice Hearing scheduled for 2/22/11

SB 234 is on the agenda of the FL Senate Committee on Criminal Justice

on Tuesday, February 22nd at 9:00am. Florida Carry, Inc. urgently requests that you

email via the members of the committee in support of Senate Bill 234.

This NRA authored bill comprises several separate initiatives.

These include the option for CWFL holders to carry openly; a provision to authorize

carry at career centers, colleges, and universities; the right to store a firearm in

one's vehicle wherever it may be lawfully parked;

the authorization for the Department of Agriculture to take fingerprints;

the repeal of Florida’s ban on long gun purchases in most other states.

Quite simply put, this is the most comprehensive carry rights bill since shall-issue

concealed carry was passed twenty-four years ago.

Florida is one of only seven states where open carry of firearms is generally

forbidden, excepting under certain circumstances. Arguments against open

carry generally consist of concerns regarding the fearful reactions of the

general population. Some have suggested that an open carrier becomes an

instant target, having his firearm snatched by a criminal in line at a convenience

store. The facts simply do not support those allegations. In states where open carry

is lawfully practiced, citizens have become accustomed to the understanding that

a holstered weapon is a danger to no one. There have been no wholesale attacks on

open carriers, nor have open carriers been shot with their own weapons.

Police officers are not fearful of open carriers as they know that a 5-year FBI

crime study has shown that criminals do not open carry, nor do they carry in holsters.

Criminals shun attention, something that the open carrying of a firearm invariably

draws to some extent. Not a single state that has legalized open carry in recent years

has repealed the right.

In 1987, open carry was outlawed primarily because of the predictions of

wild west shootouts, blood in the streets, gun battles over parking spaces,

and normally law abiding people indiscriminately becoming homicidal maniacs.

The main opponent of open carry was Janet Reno, then assistant state attorney.

She was able to rally support from a vocal group of police administrators with

the doom and gloom scenarios. Amazingly enough, the exact same arguments

were heard against "shall-issue" concealed carry. Twenty-four years later, and

none of the rampant bloodshed predictions about concealed carry have come true.

With regard to carry on colleges and universities, it is not coincidence that most

of the mass shootings in the U.S. occur on the campuses of educational institutions.

To believe that a potential assailant would be dissuaded from committing mass

murder simply because there is a law forbidding him to bring a firearm on campus

is pure folly. Rape, robbery, assault, and murder have all occurred on campuses

across the country.

College and university administrators continue to deny the reality that by

prohibiting students, faculty, staff, and visitors from defending themselves

promotes an unsafe environment. Often ignored by opponents is the fact that

only concealed weapons/firearms license holders would be permitted to carry

on campus, and the minimum age requirement to have a license is 21. Those

students under 21 would not be permitted to carry on campus. Once again,

the potential criminals do not care about minimum age or having a license.

After all, there are no barriers to access on most campuses. Florida Carry, Inc.

supports SB 234, and encourages all gun owners/carriers to join us in contacting

the senators on the Florida Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

Please tell them 24 years is enough.

We urgently need you to email the committee members NOW!

Include “Support SB 234” in the Subject Line

E-mail Helper (feel free to cut, paste, and edit to suit) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TO: evers.greg.web@flsenate.gov dean.charles.web@flsenate.gov dockery.paula.web@flsenate.gov margolis.gwen.web@flsenate.gov smith.chris.web@flsenate.gov

SUBJECT: Support SB 234 – Support the Second Amendment

Dear Senator,

This e-mail is to express my support for Senate Bill 234, Firearms.

As a member of the Florida Senate Committee on Criminal Justice,

you will be hearing this bill on Tuesday, February 22nd.

I respectfully ask that you wholeheartedly support this bill.

The predictions of doom and gloom that preceded the adoption of "shall-issue"

concealed carry have been proven to be fiction. For twenty-four years,

Florida concealed weapons/firearms license holders have proven themselves

to be responsible to the extreme. Since 1987, only 168 of nearly two-million

licenses have been revoked due to misuse of firearms. It is time to recognize

that responsibility by giving those licensees the option to carry their firearms

in the manor that is most appropriate to their situation, openly or concealed.

In the 43 states that permit some form of general open carry, not a single state

has repealed that right.

It is also time to recognize that criminals have discovered a target-rich environment

at colleges and universities. Rapes, robberies, assaults, and other violent crimes

continually occur at and near campuses on students, faculty, and staff alike.

Concealed weapons/firearms license holders should not have to relinquish the ability

to defend themselves because of a mistaken belief that criminals obey campus

restrictions.

Please support SB 234.

Respectfully yours,

Name and zip code

Gov. Scott Signs His First Executive Orders

January 04, 2011 12:19 PM
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE



TALLAHASSEE — Immediately after being sworn-in as Florida’s
45th governor, Gov. Rick Scott fulfilled campaign promises by
signing executive orders to freeze job-killing regulations and
require state agencies to verify legal immigration status.
He also established a tough new ethics policy and affirmed his
commitment to diversity in employment.

Executive Order No. 11-01

Freezes all new regulations and establishes the Office of Fiscal
Accountability and Regulatory Reform, which will review all rules
prior to promulgation as well as agency practices and contracts.

•Immediately suspends rulemaking for all agencies under the
direction of the Governor.

•Establishes the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Regulatory
Reform to review all rules (including those suspended by the Order)
prior to promulgation and to review agency practices and contracts.

•Imposes 90-day suspension on execution of any contracts with a
value in excess of $1 million, without prior approval from the Office.

•Prohibits agencies from promulgating rules unless they obtain prior
approval from the Office.

Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker) today released the following statement
applauding Governor Rick Scott’s first official act as the Governor of
the State of Florida:

“Governor Scott today took the first major step to reduce government
red tape and regulation by signing Executive Order 11-01. This order
will help businesses in Northwest Florida, and all across Florida, and
help move our economy forward toward the ultimate goal of job creation.

“I applaud and thank Governor Scott for his immediate and bold actions.
Not only was today a monumental day for Governor Scott and his family,
but today is also a landmark day for Florida businesses.”

Executive Order No. 11-02

Requires state agencies to use the E-Verify system verify
employment eligibility of state employees and contractors.

•All state agencies under the direction of the Governor must
use E-Verify system to check employment eligibility of their
current and prospective employees.

•Requires state agencies under the direction of the Governor
to include in all state contracts a requirement that contractors
utilize the E-Verify system to verify the employment eligibility of:

••all persons employed during the contract term by the contractor
to perform employment duties within Florida; and

••all persons (including subcontractors) assigned by the contractor
to perform work pursuant to the contract with the state agency.

Executive Order No. 11-03

Establishes the Governor’s policy on ethics and open government.
Orders the adoption and implementation of a revised, stronger,
code of ethics in the Governor’s office, and directs agencies under
the direction of the Governor to revise their codes of ethics accordingly.

•Recognizes work of 19th Statewide Grand Jury and directs
Governor’s Special Counsel and Chief Ethics Officer to review
their Report and recommend a plan for implementation of all
or certain, as advisable, of the Grand Jury Recommendations.

•Reaffirms commitment to Office of Open Government and calls
for establishment of new Web site providing access to accountability
information.

Executive Order No. 11-04

Reaffirms the Governor’s commitment to diversity in government.

•Reaffirms prohibition on discrimination in employment based on
race, gender, creed, color, or national origin, and affirms commitment
to hiring, retaining and promoting the highest quality candidates
regardless of the above.

•Reaffirms policy of non-discrimination in state contracting without
regard for race, gender, creed, color, or national origin.

Can Rick Scott Put Florida to Work?

By STEPHEN MOORE
OPINION Wall Street Journal
DECEMBER 31, 2010

"I'm going to run this state like a business,"
the new governor says.

Everyone's talking about the incoming Republican majority in the
House of Representatives, but we shouldn't forget the 17 newly
elected reformist GOP governors—from New Mexico to Ohio to Maine—
who are nearly all hostile to the overweening ambitions of the
federal government. Florida's Rick Scott may emerge as one
of the boldest.

As far as Washington goes, he says there's been "enough spending
and borrowing." And as far as relations between the nation's capital
and the states are concerned, his mantra is even more blunt:
"Give us our power back. Give us our money and let us run our states."

Mr. Scott, who over the past quarter-century built a $20 billion
hospital empire, Columbia-HCA, has practically zero political
experience. The Florida governorship is his first elected office.
But his campaign theme—
"7 steps to create 700,000 jobs in 7 years"
—clearly resonated with anxious voters.
Florida has lost 700,000 jobs since the recession began and ranks
among the top five states in terms of mortgage foreclosures.
Home prices are down by 40% or more in cities like Tampa,
Fort Lauderdale and Naples.

"I'm going to run this state like a business," Mr. Scott promises.
"When businesses think of locating in North America,
I want to make sure that they think first about Florida."
His first executive order to jump-start the economy will be a
freeze on new regulations."We have plenty of rules already," he says.
He also wants to phase out the state corporate income tax over
the next seven years, slash property taxes by 19%, and rapidly
expand the state's K-12 vouchers and charter schools so Florida
parents have more educational options.

Associated Press

'Give us our power back. Give us our money and
let us run our states,' says Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott.



Florida's budget deficit is $3.5 billion, and to deal with it
Mr. Scott says that state agencies will have to justify every
penny they want to spend.

"We will look at every agency and ask . . .

'What are you trying to achieve,

and is there a lower-cost way to do it?'"

He hopes to save $1.4 billion annually on Florida's public-employee
pensions by requiring greater worker contributions to the funds and
by steering new workers into 401k retirement plans. He wants to
cut Florida's budget all the way back to its 2004 baseline.

Mr. Scott is unquestionably an expert on health-care issues, but
he has come under intense attack for $1.6 billion in fraudulent
Medicare and Medicaid claims submitted in the mid-1990s by
Columbia Hospital Corporation, the name of Mr. Scott's firm at
the time. Mr. Scott persuaded voters that he wasn't personally
to blame, but those complaints will doubtless surface again as
he tries to uproot the current health-care financing structure in
the state.

Mr. Scott believes that the growing financial squeeze from
programs such as Medicaid means that"there's going to be a
lot of pressure from the new governors to get Congress to
block-grant the [Medicaid] money back to us." The theory is
that the states can more efficiently administer the program.

His cost-containment strategy involves creating a health-care
voucher for eligible Medicaid recipients so that they can shop
around for health care and explore money-saving options like
high-deductible health savings accounts. "If poor people are
spending their own money, it is amazing how fast they will
figure out how to keep a lid on medical bills," he says,
based on his own experience in the private sector.

Critics say this will inhibit preventive care, but Mr. Scott scoffs
at the claim. "If the money is yours, don't you think you will
change to a healthier lifestyle?"

Like so many of the new GOP governors, Mr. Scott thinks that
states' financial problems can be solved by applying sound
business principles. A business model applied to government can
certainly reduce inefficiency and improve accountability. But
those trying to implement the model may crash into a wall of
opposition from the permanent bureaucracy and government unions.
Mr. Scott sounds more than a little naive when I ask about how hard
he thinks it will be to impose alien money-saving concepts on the
fifth-largest state government in America.

For those who doubt the wisdom of his strategy to downsize
government, he carries around a chart which shows, fairly persuasively,
that over the past 30 years Florida has prospered when government
spending was low and floundered when it was high. If he's right about this
—and if he can deliver on the changes he wants—then those 700,000 new
jobs may be on their way. And don't be surprised if this plan turns Florida's
real-estate bust into another boom.

(Mr. Moore is senior economics writer for the
Wall Street Journal editorial page.)

FLORIDA'S LAST REFUGE IN GLOBAL WARMING ?

Located in the Florida panhandel near the small community of Lakewood. It is about 2 miles south of the Alabama State line and in Walton County Florida. The towns of Paxton Florida and Florala Alabama, are nearby. This marker is approximately 60 miles north of the Gulf Of Mexico.

AN INVITATION TO AL GORE

Dear Al Gore

This is a standing invitation for you to still visit
our lovely state of Florida even if your emphatic
assertion that global warming is melting the polar
ice caps and that soon the mean sea level will rise
300 feet. Al, pictured above is a spot in our state that
you could still visit. You could sit on the bench in this
park and view the beautiful waters of The Gulf Of Mexico,
which would be only a few yards away and if you looked
to the east you can view the beautiful waters of the Atlantic
Ocean because at that time the two will be one single sea.

Sorry Al, but at that time you will no longer be able to
fly to Palm Beach in that big private jet that you own and
I do not know if one of the three large beautiful homes that
you maintain is there but I guess we all have to give up
somethings as you have suggested. I know that you would
have us give up our automobiles, air conditioners,power
generating plants, factories and businesses so that we will
be worthy of our government ratifying the Kyota Accords.

Al, I am a survivor of the of the last Ice Age,....the one that
occured in the 1970's and 1980's...brought on us by the same
enviromental group that is now giving us Global Warming
...I guess as a Floridian I was lucky because I did not suffer from the cold. I do know that it happened because hundreds of newspapers
and magazine articles carried the story and millions of taxpayers
dollars were spent investigating this cause celeb.
Why even The National Geographic Magazine carried this event.

So Al, if the ice caps melt,come visit this spot.

Sincerely

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AL GORE'S "GLOBAL WARMING"
PLEASE GO TO THE SITE BELOW.

www.cagwh.com/blog/

This Post Courtesy of Genetew's Photostream on Flichr Blog