Florida Alert! FAKE ACTIVISTS at Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing

On Tuesday,  January 24, 2017, SB-128 Burden of Proof by Senator Rob Bradley was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing and PASSED 5-4.

The Committee hearing room was full of women wearing red t-shirts emblazoned on the front with NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg's "MOMS DEMAND ACTION" logo on the front and the "EVERYTOWN" logo on the back.  They piled into the room as a group. Many of them had Florida League of Women Voters buttons pinned on the front of their red t-shirts.

These women didn't appear to know anything about the bill, the law or the process.  It also appeared they were being herded around by representatives of the League of Women Voters who walked around wearing League of Women Voters buttons on their lapels.

When the hearing was over, these t-shirt wearing women were taken outside the building to the plaza area where they had to take off their t-shirts and turn them in by placing them in a plastic Rubbermaid type container.

That begs a lot of questions.  Where did these women come from?  What made them agree to wear borrowed t-shirts and pretend to be activists?  Who brought them there? 

Is this a Florida League of Women Voters "Rent-a-Mom" program?   Were these women paid to be there and wear those t-shirts? 

An even bigger question why are they bringing in fake activists?  Isn't bringing in fake supporters to fool legislators just another form of lying?

Is bringing FAKE ACTIVISTS into committee hearings to pretend there is support for their position the new trend among liberal, anti-gunners? Shameful..... 

Bills Filed To-Date for the 2017 Session in Florida

SB-128 Restoring Self-defense Immunity – by Sen. Rob Bradley (Republican) – Restores the self-defense immunity provision of the stand your ground law to the original intent of the Legislature.  Restores the presumption of innocence, of a person who exercises self-defense, until proven guilty by the state. (SB-128 currently has the following sponsors. In addition to Sen. Rob Bradley, Senators Dennis Baxley, Aaron Bean and Wilton Simpson have cosponsored the bill so far)

SB-140 Open Carry of  a Handgun – by Sen. Greg Steube (Republican) – Allows persons licensed to carry a Concealed Weapon or Firearm (CW) to carry openly; removes the restriction against CW license holders carrying on college and university campuses; removes the restriction against CW license holders carrying firearms inside the passenger terminal of an airport (outside the secure area) ; removes the restriction against CW carrying in courthouses under certain conditions;

SB-142 Storage of  Firearms – by Sen. Gary Farmer (Democrat) – Removes exceptions in the safe storage of firearms law and makes the gun owner a criminal if a person under 16 years of age breaks into a home or vehicle and steals a firearm.

SB-170 Adding Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms – by Sen. Oscar Braynon (Democrat) – Prohibits Concealed Weapons and Firearms license holders from carrying firearms into any performing arts center or legitimate theater.

SB-254 "Assault Weapons" ban – by Sen. Linda Stewart (Democrat) – Bans the sale and possession of semiautomatic handguns, rifles and shotguns that use a detachable magazine or tubular magazine (almost all semiautomatic firearms).  Provides for firearms to be surrendered to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

HB-167 "Assault Weapons" ban – by Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith (Democrat) – Bans the sale and possession of semiautomatic handguns, rifles and shotguns that use a detachable magazine or tubular magazine (almost all semiautomatic firearms).  Provides for firearms to be surrendered to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

HB-236 Adding Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms – by Rep. Cynthia A. Stafford (Democrat) – Prohibits Concealed Weapons and Firearms license holders from carrying firearms into any performing arts center or legitimate theater.

HB-245 Restoring Self-defense Immunity – by Rep. Bobby Payne (Republican) – Restores the self-defense immunity provision of the stand your ground law to the original intent of the Legislature.  Restores the presumption of innocence, of a person who exercises self-defense, until proven guilty by the state.
(HB-245 currently has 26 sponsors. In addition to Sponsors Reps. Bobby Payne & Jason Fischer, these outstanding supporters have cosponsored the bill so far:  Jason Brodeur, Danny Burgess, Cord Byrd, Matt Caldwell, Chuck Clemons , Neil Combee, Brad Drake, Dane Eagle, Eric Eisnaugle, Jay Fant, Randy Fine, James Grant, Joe Gruters, Sam Killebrew, Ralph Massullo, Jr., Alexandra Miller, Cary Pigman, Mel Ponder, Paul Renner, Bob Rommel, Cyndi Stevenson, Charlie Stone, Frank White, Jayer Williamson)

HB-291 Constitutional Amendment to Exempt Law Enforcement from Gun Control – by Rep. Don Hahnfeldt (Republican) To exempt law enforcement from the 72-Hour Waiting Period on the personal purchase of personal handguns. In 1990 law enforcement led the charge to impose a gun control measure on you and me -- a 3-day Waiting Period on the purchase of handguns -- but they failed to persuade the Legislature to exempt law enforcement. They're back trying again.

HB-6001 Concealed Weapons & Firearms In Airport Terminals – by Rep. Jake Raburn (Republican) –  Removes the restriction against CW license holders carrying firearms inside the passenger terminal of an airport but retains the restriction of carrying firearms past  inside  the secure area beyond the security check point.

HB-6005 Campus Carry – by Rep. Scott Plakon (Republican) – Removes provision prohibiting concealed carry license holders from carrying a handgun into college or university facility for self-defense.

We expect many more gun bills to be filed before the beginning of Legislative Session on March 7, 2017.