I’m a Marine veteran. I don’t support permitless carry.
We need real public safety in Florida, not a Wild West shootout.
I’m a Marine veteran. I support the Second Amendment. I believe in responsible gun ownership.
When I joined the Marines, we had a full month of firearms training before we fired even a single bullet on the range. There are extremely strict standards for handling a loaded weapon. It’s a long process, and with good reason. Those standards prevent accidents and misuse. I was even selected to train others at boot camp and made sure everyone was qualified at all times.
It’s just common sense to require training, licensing, and a background check before someone can carry a loaded gun in public. That’s why I oppose Governor DeSantis’s efforts to allow nearly anyone to carry a gun in public, no questions asked.
In the military, there’s a respect and reverence for our weapons.
We know how powerful they are, how much damage they can cause. In combat, you want to be 100% sure that your fellow Marines know what they’re doing. Why would we have looser standards for civilians on our streets in Florida?
Florida
Right now, if you want to carry a loaded gun in public, you need to go through training, an enhanced background check, and get a license. These steps ensure that people who don’t know what they’re doing with a gun don’t pose a threat to you in line at Publix, walking through your neighborhood, or at a crowded tailgate with a few too many drinks.
But for some reason, Governor Ron DeSantis is throwing his weight behind a proposal to eliminate those basic public safety measures. It’s a really dangerous idea. Think about it: no license, no training, no questions asked. A criminal could carry a gun in public, and the police wouldn’t be able to ask them to show a license, because doing so would supposedly be a burden to law abiding citizens. What it does, though, is give free reign to people convicted of violent crimes while the law looks the other way. And the only way to tell a bad guy with a gun from a good guy with a gun? After it’s too late.
I don’t want to live in the Wild West.
My grandpa loved John Wayne movies and I’d watch them growing up. Everyone was armed—and it was a disaster. People would draw their weapons and shoot for no good reason, like over a card game. That might sound like hyperbole, but imagine some guys at a bar watching the game and they get in an argument. If this bill passes, fistfights will turn into gunfights.
We should make sure that people with a violent criminal history aren’t allowed to carry a gun in our public spaces. We need a real public safety plan, not Wild West shootouts in Miami. Permitless carry is a threat to our public safety, and I wanted to let people know about it.
Gun ownership is a right that comes with responsibilities.
Proponents of permitless carry call the measure “constitutional carry” but I think that’s a misnomer. There’s nothing in the Constitution that says we need to allow every Tom, Dick, and Harry to carry a loaded pistol with no training or first making sure they’re not a violent criminal. Some people say that allowing more people to be armed allows “good guys” to intervene to protect innocent people. But imagine a police officer arriving at the scene of a good guy intervening. Two guys with guns drawn. Which one’s the bad guy? Which one is the threat?
Governor DeSantis isn’t proposing a repeal of drivers’ licenses. Why? Because people who don’t know what they’re doing with a motor vehicle pose a threat to public safety. It makes no sense to repeal Florida’s existing training and permitting requirements for carrying a concealed, loaded gun in public—it’s the same thing.
Governor DeSantis is dead wrong on this policy. If you agree with me, give his office a call and tell him you oppose permitless carry: 347-868-6798.
SPOTLIGHT
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In 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head while meeting with constituents in Tucson, Arizona. In the face of adversity and opposition, she’s inspired millions to fight for a safer America, one free from gun violence.
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