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Adam Putnam’s office stopped concealed weapons background checks for a year
Tampa Bay Times ^ | 6/8/18 | Steve Contorno

Posted on 06/08/2018 4:31:06 PM PDT by Brandonmark

For more than a year, the state of Florida failed to conduct national background checks on tens of thousands of applications for concealed weapons permits, potentially allowing drug addicts or people with a mental illness to carry firearms in public.

A previously unreported Office of Inspector General investigation found that in February 2016 the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stopped using a FBI crime database called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that ensures applicants who want to carry a gun do not have a disqualifying history in other states.

The employee in charge of the background checks could not log into the system, the investigator learned. The problem went unresolved until discovered by another worker in March 2017 — meaning that for more than a year applications got approved without the required background check.

During that time, which coincided with the June 12, 2016 shooting at Pulse nightclub that left 50 dead, the state saw an unprecedented spike in applications for concealed weapons permits. There were 134,000 requests for permits in the fiscal year ending in June 2015. The next 12 months broke a record, 245,000 applications, which was topped again in 2017 when the department received 275,000 applications.

Department employees interviewed for the report called the NICS checks "extremely important." Concealed weapons licenses "may have been issued to potentially ineligible individuals." If it came out they weren't conducted, "this could cause an embarrassment to the agency," the report said.

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has made it a priority to speed up the issuing of concealed weapons permits since he was elected in 2010. In 2012, he held a news conference to celebrate the state's one millionth concealed weapons permit....

(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: adamputnam; banglist; florida; floridagovernor
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This is not good news for the leading NRA candidate in the Florida Governor's race and David Hogg target!
1 posted on 06/08/2018 4:31:06 PM PDT by Brandonmark
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To: Brandonmark

the right of the People to keep and bear arms SHALL NOT be infringed


2 posted on 06/08/2018 4:38:21 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicans aren't born, they're excreted." -Marcus Tillius Cicero (3 BCE))
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To: Brandonmark

Background checks do no good at all and all kinds of harm. The same can be said for waiting periods.

I doubt they stop a single person from obtaining a weapon and cause all kinds of inconvenience for regular people.

One candidate, named King is running totally on gun control. I wish some candidate would actually stand up for total gun rights.


3 posted on 06/08/2018 4:38:33 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: Brandonmark

This is not good news for the leading NRA candidate in the Florida Governor’s race and David Hogg target!
*******
No so. The problem was caused by the current state administration. not the candidate.


4 posted on 06/08/2018 4:41:48 PM PDT by Socon-Econ
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To: Brandonmark

This is not good news for the leading NRA candidate in the Florida Governor’s race and David Hogg target!
*******
No so. The problem was caused by the current state administration, not the candidate. The candidate can run on making sure this doesn’t happen again.


5 posted on 06/08/2018 4:43:38 PM PDT by Socon-Econ
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To: Brandonmark

No lose. Putnam is mainline GOPe and will no doubt do the bidding of the corportists.


6 posted on 06/08/2018 4:46:42 PM PDT by lodi90
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To: Brandonmark

The interesting and unsaid thing about this to me is that if all of those CCW licensees who didn’t get a background check haven’t caused a massive surge in the levels of crimes committed by CCW holders, it must mean that:

A: The people wanting to lawfully carry firearms in public aren’t the problem.

B: The background check system is worse than useless.


7 posted on 06/08/2018 4:52:37 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (Vote for your guns!)
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To: Socon-Econ

Putnam was the Ag Commissioner during that time period. Unfortunately, it’s his to own.


8 posted on 06/08/2018 5:02:08 PM PDT by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man, a subject.")
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To: Brandonmark
From the article:Perhaps this is over ambitious but could one presume the first mentioned employee was fired on the spot?

Hard to believe this went on for more than a year. Several people had to be asleep at the switch. Hope they're jobless as well.

Where are the names? Anonymity has its place but this is way over the top.

9 posted on 06/08/2018 5:07:48 PM PDT by upchuck (The problem: parents doing their careers instead of raising their kids. h/t: Wyrd bið ful aræd)
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To: Brandonmark

Putnam is a huge RINO.


10 posted on 06/08/2018 5:14:28 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small fee.)
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To: Brandonmark

One knows when they are the leader. Just look in the St. Pete Pravda. If they’re writing good stuff about a pol, then he/she must be a progressive Republican or Socialist Democrat. If they’re writing bad sh...stuff about a pol, he/she is a Constitutional Republican. Go Putnam!


11 posted on 06/08/2018 5:15:53 PM PDT by Road Warrior ‘04 (Molon Labe! Oathkeeper)
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To: tennmountainman
Putnam is a huge RINO.

BS!!!

12 posted on 06/08/2018 5:17:03 PM PDT by Road Warrior ‘04 (Molon Labe! Oathkeeper)
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To: upchuck

“The employee in charge of the background checks could not log into the system, the investigator learned.”
****************
Has anyone looked into the political background of the employee who could not log into the system? Could the lack of ability have been intentional?

It was known back in 2016 that Putnam was looking at running for governor. Governor Scott is term limited, and there was a strong feeling at that time that Putnam would run.


13 posted on 06/08/2018 5:19:21 PM PDT by Yulee
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To: upchuck
Where are the names? Anonymity has its place but this is way over the top.

Here's the complete report with dates and names: Office of Inspector General Investigative Report June 5, 2017

14 posted on 06/08/2018 5:21:40 PM PDT by Brandonmark (Made America Great Again! 11.08.2016 - A DAY OF RENEWAL)
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To: Brandonmark
IOG Investigative Report June 5, 2017
15 posted on 06/08/2018 5:29:14 PM PDT by Brandonmark (Made America Great Again! 11.08.2016 - A DAY OF RENEWAL)
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To: RandallFlagg

Any half way competent manager would have been looking at the statistics of the applications, and wondering why none had been denied by the federal system.


16 posted on 06/08/2018 5:40:02 PM PDT by SauronOfMordor (Socialists want YOUR wealth redistributed, never THEIRS!)
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To: Road Warrior ‘04

That rag is owned by the Washington Post.


17 posted on 06/08/2018 5:49:39 PM PDT by lilypad
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To: Brandonmark

Another good reason for constitutional carry.


18 posted on 06/08/2018 5:58:53 PM PDT by InABunkerUnderSF (Time to BLOAT again.)
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To: upchuck

From what I can tell from the FL statute the federal background check is NOT required.
790.06(6)(a)The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, upon receipt of the items listed in subsection (5), shall forward the full set of fingerprints of the applicant to the Department of Law Enforcement for state and federal processing, provided the federal service is available, to be processed for any criminal justice information as defined in s. 943.045. The cost of processing such fingerprints shall be payable to the Department of Law Enforcement by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Since the employee could not log on the federal service was not available.

Not saying that it was the right thing to do, but it sounds like a case of malicious compliance.


19 posted on 06/08/2018 6:03:44 PM PDT by Do_Tar (To my NSA handler: Only kidding.)
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To: Brandonmark
The employee in charge of the background checks could not log into the system,

One of the few times Affirmative Action worked out to Americas benefit.

20 posted on 06/08/2018 6:14:59 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle ( The Great Wall of Trump ---- 100% sealing of the border. Coming soon.)
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