Posted on 05/24/2013 12:34:53 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
CLEARWATER — Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri on Tuesday announced plans to strictly enforce a county law mandating background checks for all customers at gun shows, asserting local control in an area that has stubbornly resisted state and federal regulation.
Gualtieri's initiative comes in response to a Tampa Bay Times story last month on the ineffectiveness of local laws closing the so-called gun show loophole. The Times reported that while seven of Florida's most populous counties — including Pinellas and Hillsborough — have ordinances requiring background checks for all sales at gun shows, the laws are largely ignored.
According to Gualtieri, that will no longer be the case in Pinellas County. He said that sheriff's deputies, after extensive consultation with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, plan to monitor upcoming gun shows either in uniform or through undercover operations.
"We're going to make sure the ordinance is enforced," said Gualtieri, a Republican. "The last thing in the world that I want to see, and I hope anyone wants to see, is a firearm fall into the hands of a person who's prohibited by law from possessing one."
The first gun show to be monitored will be held this weekend at the Minnreg Building in Largo. On Monday, Gualtieri sent organizer Guy Lemakos a letter to "remind" him of private vendors' responsibilities under the ordinance.....
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
I still have a bad taste from this law enforcement outfit since they helped enforce Judge Greer’s death order for Terri Schiavo.
Michael Schiavo was in a long term romantic relationship at the time with a female dispatcher for this law enforcement agency and had gotten a job as a nurse at the county jail.
God help me to maintain my serenity and peace.....
And...this was the same county where the jury was picked that found Casey Anthony not guilty of murdering her child.
Pinellas tends to lean left
The gun show sponsors can put up signs that mark the limits of gun show grounds - "complete any private transactions beyond this point".
Another mindless political minion masquerading as a law enforcement officer who would order his subordinates to fire on American citizens if directed by Obama.
Headline of the future: Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri Running for Governor.
What a load of crap!
Are we to check folks for moving violations, under penalty of jail, before selling them the old car?
>>Pinellas tends to lean left<<
Tends? It is a bastion of retired damn Yankees who brought their politics with them. They just elected a carpetbagger to the US House - Alan Grayson.
Boycott the beaches until this clown is gone. Anyway, there are better beaches in Anna Maria, Bradenton and Sarasota.
Grayson was elected in the Orlando area.
Pinellas County, while politically left, is full of red-blooded Americans, myself included. We've always elected strong Republicans to represent us. Our current representatives include Gus Bilirakis and Bill Young.
While there are pockets of liberalism in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, most of our smaller bedroom communities such as Oldsmar, Palm Harbor, Seminole, Largo, and Safety Harbor are hard-working right-of-center areas. We are, unfortunately, overrun by the thugs of St. Pete when it comes to the Democrats, and the city councils are often left-of-center, but there are plenty of gun-toting, God-fearing, freedom-loving Floridians from Pinellas.
That being said, this crap with Gualtieri is sad. I voted for this asshat, reluctantly, and while most of his "crime fighting" work has been admirable, his politics are definitely trending left. What is it with Floridian politicians? They never seem to stand on their principles.
To reiterate, Alan Grayson is NOT the responsibility of the voters of Pinellas county!
Hey, as a “not yet retired” yankee who moved to Pinellas county from PA, I will tell you that I brought my very conservative politics with me. And having voted since moving here Alan Grayson was NOT on any ballot I saw.
At ALL gun shows licensed dealers who are 99% of the sales MUST do a federal background check to sell a gun. Person to person sales at gun shows just like if done with a neighbor or friend or family do not requires a background check. Neither does selling someone a shovel or a baseball bat or pressure cooker, duh.
A federal firearms background check may pickup substantial conviction history data if that data has made its way from local conviction databases, up to state repositories then to the federal level. That upward migration of the data can be delayed or may never show up for various reasons. IE: There is no such thing as a comprehensive electronic nationwide background check. Too much chaos in the system. An example of such chaos is that one cannot say for sure who Barack Obama is, where he came from, what his education has been, etc.
These folks in Florida has the same problem many other politicians (excepting Rand Paul and Ted Cruz) have around the country, they cannot understand or refuse to use simple mathematics in their decision process. Soon, may of them will happily be using the number “quadrillion” as if they can grasp the meaning of the word. Unfortunately, that word will become one that has to be used in looking at economic metrics as they apply on a national level. Specifically when it comes to monies owed by the federal government because of the past actions of people like these in Florida that can best be described as retards that have been elected to office.
florida has a state law prohibiting such local laws.
the fact it is on the books opens the local politicians up to criminal sanctions.
there was a whole thread here on the panic of local officials removing the feel good do nothing laws from the books.
ARTICLE VIII, SECTION 5.(b)
Each county shall have the authority to require a criminal history records check and a 3 to 5-day waiting period, excluding weekends and legal holidays, in connection with the sale of any firearm occurring within such county. For purposes of this subsection, the term “sale” means the transfer of money or other valuable consideration for any firearm when any part of the transaction is conducted on property to which the public has the right of access. Holders of a concealed weapons permit as prescribed by general law shall not be subject to the provisions of this subsection when purchasing a firearm.
History: Am. proposed by Constitution Revision Commission, Revision No. 12, 1998, filed with the Secretary of State May 5, 1998; adopted 1998.
The 2012 Florida Statutes
790.33 Field of regulation of firearms and ammunition preempted.—
(1)PREEMPTION.—Except as expressly provided by the State Constitution or general law, the Legislature hereby declares that it is occupying the whole field of regulation of firearms and ammunition, including the purchase, sale, transfer, taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, storage, and transportation thereof, to the exclusion of all existing and future county, city, town, or municipal ordinances or any administrative regulations or rules adopted by local or state government relating thereto. Any such existing ordinances, rules, or regulations are hereby declared null and void.
I missed the fact that this was a newly created district. The old 9th comprised parts of Hillsborough plus Clearwater in Pinellas County.
While that's not high on the list of things I want to see, the LAST thing I actually want to see is even the smallest bit of information falling into the hands of those who can't be trusted not to abuse it and me, i.e. the goobermint.
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