Florida: 1.9 Million CW License holders on Alert

Over 1.9 Million CW License Holders on Alert

A devout anti-gun Commissioner of Agriculture (Nikki Fried) and an even worse anti-gun Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture (Mary Barzee Flories) have taken over the administration of the concealed weapons and firearms licensing programs under the Division of Licensing at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  And, of course, 2.1 million current firearms license holders are watching.

If you believe the media, you would think newly elected Commissioner Nikki Fried (D) is hell-bent on destroying the licensing program.  Further, Fried’s newly hired Deputy Commissioner Mary Barzee Flories (D), might be planning to take a wrecking ball to it.

A 1/14/19 article in the Tampa Bay Times reports that in a previous campaign,Deputy Commissioner Barzee Flories, said that she was “100 percent committed to taking on the NRA” further that “she supports universal background checks and the reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban. Her stance on gun control drew donations and volunteers from groups like Moms Demand Action, a gun-control advocacy group...”

Don’t be fooled by campaign rhetoric.  Commissioner Fried and staff must uphold the Constitution and the law.  They can’t use their personal political philosophies to re-tool or dismantle a program governed by the Constitution and the law.

Fried campaigned on a pledge to fix problems with the program, not destroy it.  We actually welcome efforts to fix any real problems – but they have to be actual problems, not imagined or manufactured problems like those in the media.  

Commissioner Fried needs to show Floridians that she can be fair and properly administer the program.  If she is unwilling to do that, we’ll find out soon enough.  The CW Licensing Program is not a political football, it’s a program that facilitates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms and the constitutional right of self-defense.  Over 2 million license holders will hold her accountable if she decides to play politics with the licensing program. 

BOTTOM LINE: We believe that Commissioner Fried should administer the licensing program fairly and without political prejudice, according to the Constitution and the law.