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Senator Plans To Break Up Major Gun Bill
January 25, 2017
The author of a controversial proposal that would broadly expand how and where people can carry guns said Tuesday he is breaking up the measure.
However, Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, said he still intends to advance each smaller piece of his proposal (SB 140), which includes allowing people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns in public and carry firearms on college and university campuses.
“Just from feeling the tea leaves, it’s probably better to attack it piece by piece,” Steube said after a Judiciary Committee meeting. “The House doesn’t have a bill that has all those different (parts).”
Steube, who was elected to the Senate in November, is chairing a committee where major gun-related measures died during the 2016 legislative session.
Steube’s proposal would affect Florida’s more than 1.67 million concealed-weapons license holders. The measure, in part, would allow them to be armed on college and university campuses, at airport passenger terminals, in elementary and secondary schools, and at legislative and local government meetings.
Pieces of the Senate bill have been filed in individual House bills for the 2017 session, which starts March 7.
Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, introduced a House version of the campus-carry measure (HB 6005). Also, Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, has proposed a bill (HB 6001) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns into airport terminals.
The House overwhelmingly approved bills during the 2016 session to allow people to openly carry guns in public and carry them on campuses. Steube, then a member of the House, voted for both bills.
The campus-carry proposal faces opposition by university and college leaders, campus law- enforcement officials and faculty members. The Florida Sheriffs Association has opposed efforts to allow open-carry in Florida.
When Steube’s proposal is broken up, potentially into as many as 10 parts, Senate President Joe Negron will have to refer each proposal to a series of committee appearances.
Steube said campus-carry, which he sponsored in the House, and the airport-terminal proposal would be his top priorities.
“Given what’s happened at Fort Lauderdale airport, that’s important to me,” Steube said, alluding to a recent mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Steube’s measure was scheduled to first go before the Judiciary Committee on Jan. 10, but the meeting was canceled as one Republican member — Sen. Rene Garcia of Hialeah — wasn’t going to be in attendance. Including Steube and Garcia, the committee is comprised of five Republicans and four Democrats.
Steube’s comments Tuesday came after a Second Amendment website claimed that the open-carry legislation is being held up by Republican members of the committee.
“Theoretically. This should be a cake walk,” the website The Truth About Guns said Monday in an article called “Florida Open Carry On Life Support.”
“Five Republicans members means the Democrats aren’t even an issue,” The Truth About Guns continued. “But here we have four Republicans that aren’t currently in favor of strengthening and further securing the 2nd Amendment in Florida.”
Meanwhile, influential National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer said Tuesday prior to the committee meeting that she isn’t worried about Steube’s proposal.
“If I were worried, you would have seen me blast out an alert,” Hammer said when asked about the bill as currently written.
by Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Comments
9 Responses to “Senator Plans To Break Up Major Gun Bill”
No permit required in Missouri, let’s have it the same in Florida!
I go along with Shay and Dennis, I hope they will pass the open carry soon.
Kate’s in another world.
I think what they need to do is get rid of concealed carry requirements – including licenses – in all forms. Our RIGHT to carry – concealed or open – is one that is Divinely-given AND protected by the Constitution. What more do we need? As for the Sheriffs, who cares “where they all stand on this”? It is their job to enforce the laws. Seein’s as how the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land, their stand should be to make sure everyone who wants to caryy, CAN!
@ Kate: My friend, your thoughts and comments are the product of a total brain rinse. As Shay said, there are a lot of bad people out there. Just weeks ago, an ECSO was forced to shoot an armed home invasion suspect. It’s not the first one or the last one of these incidents that will occur. People are being carjacked in broad daylight. A bank was robbed yesterday. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I wish I didn’t have to carry a gun, but the average response time of a deputy or police officer is over 5 minutes. That said, I’m thrilled that our forefathers saw fit to assure that we’d have the right to keep and bear arms via the Second Amendment. You can rail against us as loudly and as long as you please, but in the end, your opinion is not relevant.
@Shay- I’ll just say Amen.
First of all, I don’t walk around with a gun because I think I am all that. I carry a gun to protect myself and my family from criminals. Which right is it that you think you have that is being violated by seeing a law abiding citizen with a CCW permit wearing a gun? I’m assuming you aren’t educated in your actual rights because if you were you’d know that we the people are allowed to bear arms.
“Every time I have to see an idiot with a gun, it violates my rights”
God forbid you ever get in a situation where someone means you harm and the only person standing between you and that person is the “Idiot” that makes you sick.
I wonder what you would prefer…death or an “idiot”with a gun?
It is sheep like you that sicken me. It sickens me that there are people like you in this world and that you leave it up to LEO’s and us gun carrying citizens to protect you all the while spewing how you think we are idiots. Voicing your opinion on gun related issues when you live in a dream world. Wake up lady!! For your own good..WAKE UP!! There are people outside your door that have nafarious thoughts and the only thing standing between them and you might be an “idiot” with a gun. It does and can happen in our neighborhoods. The world isn’t all sunsets and puppy dogs. There are people in this world who prey on people like you. You rely on law enforcement and law abiding citizens with guns to keep you safe because you’re to offended or to delusional about the world around you to protect yourself. Watch the evening news lady!!
You might not believe in gun rights but don’t attack those of us that have the guts to do what you refuse to do.
A criminal who means you harm and you don’t have a gun? Now who is the real idiot?
If you need a gun to walk around, you may not be ALL THAT. This gun bill has nothing to do with rights of the people, it has to do with our Florida House and Senate being bought by the NRA which is fill the pockets of gun makers. Every time I have to see an idiot with a gun, it violates my rights.
I could care less about the opinion of county sheriffs. This is about thr rights of the people, not about government workers.
I would like to see a roll call vote by the sheriffs in every county of the state, just to see where they all stand on this.
Concerned Citizen