Earlier today I screwed up about the Open Carry bill being pulled for good. I should have checked with those in the kitchen before passing judgement on the roast. My mistake and I apologize.
I am going to copy and paste directly from Florida Carry’ Facebook statement:
This is the first factual article about what is really going on with the omnibus Courthouse Carry, Airport Carry, Open Carry, and Campus Carry Bill.
There is one, perhaps two, republican Senate Judiciary Committee members that have not yet committed to support all portions of the original bill. But the legislative session doesn’t even start until March and committee hearings on the earliest filed bills are just getting underway.
Reporting that anyone is firmly for or against a bill, based on a phone call with an aide or secretary, is irresponsible. Thinking that legislators never change their minds about how to vote on a bill as the legislative process moves forward is nothing short of idiotic. Reporting that there are four republicans on the committee that are against the bill is blatantly FALSE.
We don’t know what TTAG’s “correspondent” thinks that lobbying and gun owner political engagement are for if it’s all a foregone conclusion. But they need to get their facts straight.
And here is the article mentioned:
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.
Source: Senator plans to break up major gun
Being able to carry concealed on school and college campus is a great idea. I am not against open carry, but why advertise? It makes you a target for idiots and criminals. I live in an open carry state, we have CCW permits and permitless carry. Very rarely do you see open carry in larger towns. More so in the rural areas. We have a long way to go to beat all the hysteria thats been forced on us. Never quit the fight.
The issue with Florida OC was that some Law Enforcement Departments were going full idiotic on accidental exposures and treating them as if they were brandishing violations. A middle goround was tried and then ignored, so now it full OC or nothing.
Most people will not OC because they want to keep the surprise advantage, but damn it, it would be nice to change a shirt or remove a jacket without some idiot screaming for the cops and the cops treat you like an active shooter.
Open Carry isn’t always about open carrying; more importantly it protects you in case you accidentally uncover. Texas was well known for jacking people up hard for merely printing, never mind displaying a portion of an actual firearm.
OK. Saying that there are four senators against it on the committee is false. Also false, there are four senators FOR it.
And since this is one time where it is a zero sum equation, if they are not FOR it, then the default is against it…
It’s pretty darn simple.
The only way to get them to change their minds is to bury them in emails, letters and phone calls.
Those contacts are not generated when the people we count on, like the NRA and Florida Carry don’t tell us what’s going on and only scold us for posting what information we’ve gleaned on our own.
I’m not getting my rumor supply from TTAG. I’m on several gun forums and a couple of posters there are in Tallahassee talking with the staff of the four senators in question and attending the committee meetings as audience members.
These are the same sources that told us about how Marion Hammer stabbed us in the back on campus carry back in 2011. If we’d listened to just the NRA’s press release written by Ms Hammer we’d have thought she went to the mat for us and there was simply nothing we could have done to save it. Why yes, I am bitter about that.
I’m fed up with fighting this every year.