During the Leon County Commission meeting addressing state and federal legislative priorities, Commissioner O’Keefe moved to adopt four gun “common sense” reform policies, with Commissioner Proctor seconding the motion.
The first policy requires universal background checks, which would close loopholes that allow people to purchase guns from unlicensed sellers without a background check. The second is secure gun storage laws, which would require the owner to secure the firearm in a place that unauthorized people cannot access. The implementation of extreme risk protection orders, or red flag laws, would allow a judge to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms if they present a high risk of harm. The final policy is to require gun owners to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement.
Commissioner Brian Welch did not support the policies, as he claims, “We don’t have any ability to affect any meaningful change in this arena…we take actions like this and then the state just preempts us…
“…I can say that right here in the microphone. I support common-sense gun safety reform”, said Welch.
Commissioner Nick Maddox followed by explaining, “Sometimes, we do things and it’s just…an attempt to show we support, but we know it ain’t going to quite get done.”
Approving the policies, Commissioner Proctor responded by stating, “Silence is not our best and strongest response.” Emphasizing that change will not happen unless one “goes against the grain.”
The commonsense gun policies were passed 5-2, with Commissioner Welch and Caban in opposition.
Leon County Commission Supports “Common Sense” Gun Reform Policies added by Staff on
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white on white crime is almost identical per the statistics. People tend to be around those like themselves…but y’all go off. Continue making yourselves the poster yokels for racism.
I have a crazy idea……….. How about they actually enforce the Laws we have on the Books, such as the 10-20-LIFE Law. If a Weapon is used during the commission of a CRIME, they get hit with the full Charges with no Deals to be made. You keep those Criminals in Prison as long as possible.
Why don’t we pass a city policy that criminals can’t have guns. That makes about as much sense as this policy.
Commissioner Welsh is correct: “We don’t have any ability to affect any meaningful change in this arena”.
90% of crime is NOT committed by law abiding citizens with licensed guns, and you ALL know that but hide it so you will not be called racist. Also, try watching all the drug smuggling, speeding or stolen cars that are caught on TV shows trying to avoid capture and see who is committing those crimes.
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
To Infringe definition: “To transgress or exceed the limits of; violate.”
How much more “common sense” can you get? Common sense as well as all history reveals those recommendations from the county commissioners are useless in preventing criminal use of firearms and infringe on a right of the people (aka: law abiding citizens) as protected by an amendment to the constitution..
How and where a citizen uses or places their firearm is none of anyone else’s concern until and unless someone chooses to use their firearm to cause harm to another person or their property,.
For all of Commissioner Proctor’s frequent bloviating he has yet to speak to HIS constituents about the real issue (as August points out) … fatherless homes and black-on-black crime. Nearly all homicides in this (and all) communities in the country fall under that category. Black males shooting and killing other black males. They are not random, they are targeted shootings. Every crime stat bears it out. The minority Commissioners and the illiberal colleagues have nothing to say about those issues. This is a bunch of meaningless drivel. It’s also patently stupid. The point of having a firearm in your home for protection is immediate accessiblity.
This vote was the face of what real fascism looks like. 20,000+ firearms laws on the books nationwide, and idiot O’keefe and his fellow brood on the county commission want to add more, and in this case, just for show. They forget the Constitution doesn’t empower government, it protects the citizen from the government.
Amen to Mr. Lyle’s comment. Criminals who chose to use a gun could care less what the laws are. They usually use stolen, unmarked or black-market obtained guns.
If you’re a law-abiding citizen and want to purchase a gun, you go to a licensed dealer. And yes, you’ll go through a rather extensive background check and fill-out a lot of papers. Then, you’ll wait a few days before you can physically take possession of the gun. Gun criminals don’t do that and never will no matter how many laws or policies get passed.
As for some of the “common sense” policies mentioned, some don’t make a lot of common sense. How are we going to enforce the policies that guns are safely secured in households and owners will report lost or stolen guns? Will we form a “Home Inspection Police Force” who go door-to-door doing gun-policy-inspections?
All this gun-control talk is the nothing more than the commissioners trying to pass a bunch of useless “feel-good policies” that accomplish absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, the real issues that should be discussed go unresolved. Things like the city/county fire-service debacle, neighborhood concerns regarding the comp-plan update, the impact of the “TMH-FSU-FAMU-TSC-State of Florida Merge” and local crime to mention a few.
They are all cowards. It takes nothing to call for more “gun laws”, it takes courage to address the problem that is fatherless children, and the criminals that create them.
People that don’t know right from wrong will shoot each other more often than not.
Nice posturing.
https://www.flsenate.gov/laws/statutes/2012/0790.33
Good thing I don’t give a good gosh darn what they say about gun policy. I follow Florida state laws which supersede anything the county has to say about it, don’t like it come for me I’ll see you in court.
Wow just when you think we’re done with this stupidity.
For those not paying attention, allow me to clarify reality… you can whine and bloviate all you wish to score political points… but criminals do not follow the law(s). Once “government” and “laws” can get guns out of the hands of criminals, then we can discuss hassling law abiding citizens about their 2nd Amendment Rights.
Just another government overreach that will get smacked down by the courts.