Posted on 09/29/2014 5:08:21 PM PDT by SoFloFreeper
Thanks to state preemption law, only the Florida Legislature can enact measures regulating the sale, possession, transfer of firearms in the Gunshine State.
But that’s not going to stop some city and county officials from attempting to implement ‘voluntary’ gun-control, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Under a proposal backed by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, city and county officials would ask gun shops and ammo suppliers who have sales contracts with law enforcement departments around the state to follow certain “sales and marketing safeguards,” when conducting business.
Those safeguards include asking the stores to run background checks on employees, train personnel to identify telltale signs of straw purchasing, run periodic inventory checks to account for lost or stolen firearms and researching the chain of possession on firearms traded in to see if they’ve been used in a crime, among others.
Commissioners of Broward debated whether the program would violate state law.
“This is not regulating,” insisted Commissioner Dale Holness. “This is coordinating a voluntary effort to ensure that gun sales are done in such a way that the people are protected.”
“Gun violence, gun crime, is a very serious issue,” Holness continued, “and it affects our community. Whatever we can do to work to ensure we’re reducing this is going to be in the best interest of the people in Broward County.’
But Commissioner Marty Kiar wasn’t so sure that the proposal didn’t overstep the law.
“I don’t know if Gov. Scott would agree with that,” said Commissioner Kiar, in response to Holness’ comment. “And I don’t have a lot of confidence in what he believes, as it is.”
Casey Woods, the founder of Arms with Ethics, an organization that promotes voluntary gun-control, said that it was designed “specifically to stay within the parameters of the state law,” adding, “I think it’s important for the average citizen to know that law has a chilling effect on their local leaders trying to take steps to make them safe.’
While the movement is similar to a 2006 Mayors Against Illegal Guns effort to pressure Wal-Mart to agree to self-imposed sales practices, Woods says this is different.
“It’s a first step toward helping to raise standards in the industry using existing relationships the police departments have, and broadening out in time,” explained Woods.
Arms with Ethics is also having success in New Jersey, where the mayor of Jersey City is asking gun dealers and ammo suppliers to provide extensive information on how they conduct business before bidding on government contracts.
It appears Arms with Ethics is gaining ground, which has at least one gun-rights group on guard.
“Arms with Ethics is nothing more than a ‘special interest’ group trying to get the county to implement its gun control agenda,” Marion Hammer, National Rifle Association past president and the Executive Director of Unified Sportsmen of Florida told Guns.com Thursday. “How would the county react to NRA urging them to require all heads of household to have guns in the home for protection because 911 response time is so slow?”
Florida, with its pro-gun laws and its 1.2 million concealed-carry permit holders, has also seen a steady decline in violent crime for the past twenty years. Among these gun laws is the 2011 preemption statute, which would preclude Broward from making their program mandatory.
This leaves some perplexed at the wording of Broward County’s new initiative.
“No clear thinking county official would believe they can violate the law by establishing gun control criteria and escape punishment by calling it ‘sales and marketing safeguards,'” stated Hammer.
Hammer explains that the structure of the program could negatively affect those who do not comply, by making them ineligible for contracts with local police, saying, “Previous reports revealed that gun and ammunition vendors who sell to law enforcement agencies would lose that business if they refuse to ”voluntarily’ adhere to gun control standards imposed by the county. That’s not voluntary compliance, that’s coercion, and loss of business is punitive.”
exactly
I love my county St Johns which is solid republican, and it’s not a small county either
And there are a sh1tload of people that would benefit from lead implants.
It's been 20 years since I was in Riviera Beach on any kind of regular basis (used to sell in that area) but knowing how things evolve, I doubt I'd go unarmed anytime I was around there now. What a crap hole that whole stretch of Broward/Dade County is.
Hmmm...and how would one do that if there is no registration of firearms, including ballistic stats on each gun?
Don’t we have de facto voluntary gun control now? I mean did I miss where they now require people to own guns?
I now live where they register Democrat but vote for Republicans.
Elect Charlie Crist and he will disarm Floridians and hand them over to the muslims.
Remember the time the Lauderhill city commission was going to honor James Earl Jones? Well, they ordered a nice plaque from the local trophy shop and the problem was, when it came back from the shop it said in honor of James Earl Ray! Well, the immediate outcry from the peeps was racism against the trophy shop owner....until he produced the work order from the city that clearly said JAMES EARL RAY. That was a hoot.
That's really nice business you gots there. Be a shame if somthin' were to happen to it.
If being disarmed makes me safer, let’s help secure the safety of America’s finest and disarm the cops first.
I thought ATF went medieval on licensed firearms dealers who lost guns.
Don’t forget that Orange and Osceola counties are now solidly Dem and always will be.
The key phrase here is “sales contracts with law enforcement”. This would no doubt be a good sized portion of the store’s business. Currently there is no overt threat of do this or.... Also under the current proposal they are not being “asked” to do anything they are not already doing, at least not as listed. But what happens when this story goes cold? What new restrictions will there be? It is the camel’s nose under the tent.
“But that’s not going to stop some city and county officials from attempting to implement ‘voluntary’ gun-control,...”
Nice gun shop you got there. Be a shame if the poh-lice shut your down every couple of days for a dirty sidewalk, illegal window signs, etc. Now if you just.........
He can try...
Broward is the most liberal county in our state, think at last estimate it was over 70% Dem,
...
Dem doesn’t always mean liberal. The most liberal counties in Florida are probably Leon and Alachua. Broward is full of Democrats in name only. The few remaining GOP office holders switched parties years ago because it was the only way to get elected.
Broward county is notoriously liberal,
...
Broward is not notoriously liberal. It is nothing like San Francisco or DC. It is dominated by Democrats, though, and there’s nobody to keep them in check when it comes to being crooked, either.
OK I should say Broward is the most Dem county in our state.
because of all the Puerto Ricans from the north east moving in.
Why did you move here?
NY had no jobs, congestion, high taxes and weather.
Ok who are you voting for?
Oh that is easy I always vote Dem\\\\
sigh and they wonder why they are classed as dumb idiots
Sounds like borderline blackmail and abuse of their authority.
Sorry, but I have lived in Florida twice. If you look at election returns for the last several cycles, The People’s Republic of Broward is the most left-wing county in the state. This is Debbie Wasserman/Peter Deutsch/Robert Wexler country. There are no “conservative Democrats” in Broward, and haven’t been in nearly 40 years. Gave Al Gore, John Kerry, and Obama the highest percentage of the vote in the entire state.
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