Senator Miguel Diaz de la PortillaPosted on 02/01/2016 10:16:05 AM PST by marktwain
Senator Miguel Diaz de la Portilla
The Florida open carry bill has moved out of Committee in the Florida House. It will likely be voted on by the full House in the next few weeks. From cbslocal.com:
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - A bill that would allow Florida gun owners to openly carry their weapons is headed to a full vote.
The bill cleared a committee vote 12 to 4 on Thursday.
The next step will be a full vote by the Florida House in the next few weeks.
The difficulty lies in the Senate, where Senator Portilla is Chair of the Judiciary Committee holding he bill.
Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, said he would consider the failure of the House amendment and may decide to block Gaetz's bill.
Portilla says that he is concerned about the effect of open carry on the tourist trade:
Diaz de la Portilla said he was concerned the proposed law would create a bad impression on tourists who would see Floridians walking around with handguns.
This is the best chance in years to pass licensed open carry in Florida. Florida is one of only five states where the open carry of handguns is generally banned. The ban is the creation of Janet Reno, the former Clinton Attorney General, of the Waco massacre fame. In 1987, when Florida passed its highly successful shall issue concealed carry license law, open carry was legal, except for a few urban areas. With the concealed carry reform, the legislature passed state preemption to make gun laws uniform throughout the state.
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
We are losing more tourists to the other 45 states where open carry is not banned.
Open Carry is also known as the right to bear arms, and it’s not a radical new idea.
Once again, Miami is out of step with the real Florida.
Thanks marktwain.
I’m definitely pro 2A, but can you please explain what the significance of an open carry victory is?
Is this purely about principle? I CC once in a while, but would never open carry, though it’s legal in my state. (PA)
It saves your @ss if someone gets a quick accidental flash of your concealed firearm.
Gotcha. So that would apply in states which permit ccw only?
If your shirt lifts up, you open-carried and subject to jail...
The biggest reason for open carry is for political purposes. I am member of the gun culture, of mature age and independent means, and the chances of needing an firearm for defense of self and others are fairly low. The chances of needing to defend the Constitution from clear and present political dangers are everyday and common.
Carrying a firearm confirms the right of citizens to use force. It confirms that the ultimate sovereign is the individual citizen, not the State. It confirms that the federal and state constitutions mean something; are not infinitely malleable by the courts, and that government is limited by the rule of law.
Openly carried weapons visually and boldly declare that the Second Amendment is not merely faded ink on dusty parchment, and that the right to self defense is known and cherished. It is the equivalent of the rattle on the rattlesnake or the May Day military parade. It warns our enemies, foreign and domestic, “You do not want a piece of this!”
Good synopsis. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
I would not equate ‘open carry’ w/ Constitutional carry. The former still being an infringement upon our Rights (license).
The only ‘radical’ part of the latter would be a restoration of Rights, tramped and subverted by govt.
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