Jacob Ogles
State Rep. Javier Fernández filed legislation crafted with Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to close loopholes in Florida’s gun laws.
The bill (HB 809) would require retention of fingerprint records in appropriate databases and call for proof of completion of appropriate firearms and safety training for a license to be renewed. The legislation also seeks to reduce the term for a concealed-weapons permit to five years instead of seven.
The reduction in term for a license would accompany a drop in cost as well, with the license fee going from $55 down to $40 and renewal costs dropping to $35.
Fried stressed the importance of the legislation to her office, which oversees gun licensing.
“Since taking office, we have fixed many of the concealed weapons program’s issues — increasing accountability by ensuing all background checks are completed, while improving efficiency in application processing times,” Fried said.
“But there’s still work to be done and ways we can enhance this program. Right now a dangerous loophole exists which could allow individuals who have committed felonies in other states to slip through the cracks — fingerprint retention will help solve this problem and keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them. These program enhancements will allow us to build on our accountability and public safety initiatives, while ensuring the program functions efficiently.”
Fernández, a Miami Democrat, said its critical to clean up licensing in Florida.
“Commissioner Fried and I are committed to cleaning up the state’s concealed weapons program, while she has made great progress, legislative action is required to bring further improvements to the accountability and safety of the program,” he said.
“Right now, the potential disqualifying information of crimes committed out of state is a dangerous blind spot that this legislation will fix with a fingerprint retention system, helping keep weapons out of the wrong hands.”
Fried said a fingerprint database would prevent some dangerous convicted criminals who committed offenses in other states from obtaining licenses.
The licensing process came under intense fire during previous Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s tenure. A Tampa Bay Times investigation last year found the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under the Republican’s leadership effectively stopped reviewing concealed weapons permit applications in February 2016.
Fried, a Democrat, came into office promising oversight and said she has added substantial personal to ensure proper checks get conducted without slowing down application review times.
15 comments
Jerry Churchill
November 27, 2019 at 2:28 pm
Nikki Fried deceived people saying she was CCW. Now she will try gun control through process instead of law. Still a violation of the second amendment. Where are the feds since she is ccw and a pot card holder.
Steve Emerson
November 27, 2019 at 2:31 pm
No one surprised when a Democrat wants to make it more difficult to exercise your constitutional rights. Fraid that’s just another leftist gun grabber
Ronald Bishop
November 27, 2019 at 7:14 pm
She is a Trojan horse.
Here is a list of the people that supports her. Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, US Senator Bill Nelson, Alex Sink, Patrick Murphy and John Morgan each and every one of these supporters are anti-2nd amendment.
She has admitted that she has a medical marijuana card a CWP and carries a firearm daily,
Per federal law a person that has a medical marijuana card can NOT Possess a Firearm or Ammunition by doing so they have committed a Felony.
She should be removed from office, but she is a democrat and we all know that democrats are above the Law!
FrankInFL
November 29, 2019 at 10:06 am
To say that Democrats are anti-2A might lead some to conclude that Republicans are pro-2A. There is no evidence to support that.
tom palmer
November 28, 2019 at 12:12 am
Yeah, if convicted felons can’t have a CCW, what is this country coming to?
nelson gilliam
November 28, 2019 at 9:27 am
Get the communist out of our system..this idiot is no different then the other communist so called democrats that want our guns and to take the best President America has ever had out of office over made up lies..they area all traitors to America and our Constitution
GetReal
November 28, 2019 at 11:12 am
The supposed “loophole” is only an excuse by a big liberal to create an endless database of Florida residents with guns. Get a grip NIkki. Stop covering up that you have in fact put Florida residents and military at risk by doing nothing, i.e. zilch, nada, to update the haggard concealed weapon computer system.
grant
November 28, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Javier Fernández is one of the Legislatures (Communist) gun control freaks. Absolutely nothing that comes out of his mouth is factual. Combine that with Nikki Fired, the Bloomberg Trojan horse taking every chance she can to start the process of ‘take-em-ALL-away’, you’ve got a true cocktail for constitutional havoc. Are we even sure she was duly elected? Lots of election fraud in her area last time.
Additionally, there is no loophole. They just want to create more bureaucracy to hide what they are really doing. Their ‘loophole’ is the same b.s. that they try to feed us about ‘gun show loophole’ which, there isn’t one. For those of you who don’t know, a criminal history is a nationwide background check, which every CCW applicant goes thru. Nothing here for Fried to do except consolidate her power and hand off our fingerprints and personal information to every gun control group there is.
Mikel
November 28, 2019 at 2:34 pm
Please explain to me how Fried can hold a Medical Marijuana card AND a CCW?
I can’t, Id be arrested on a felony. EXPLAIN THIS PLEASE!
mGm
November 28, 2019 at 2:42 pm
Folks, if you don’t start contacting your Florida Rep and Senator, yourself, personally, we are gonna lose our proverbial butts (guns) in Tallahassee. Most of the ‘leaders’ have turned their backs on law abiding citizens in favor of the MOB. Galvano and Lee already have a plan for more gun control. They wont listen to ANY gun-rights group, they will walk away, so it is up to us, as individuals, to make some noise before we lose it all. The new session starts in Jan. All ya need to do is call, or email. Don’t depend on the NRA, GOA or any other ‘.org’, do it yourself. There is a ‘Constitutional Carry’ bill, HB273, filed, we got to tell them that we want that.
FrankInFL
November 29, 2019 at 10:10 am
You think there’s a political solution to this?
TINVOWOOT.
Stuie
November 29, 2019 at 9:11 am
talk about “loopholes”, . . this means a lot coming from someone who issues thousands of armed security guard licenses without checking the federal mental health database MECOM.
Ralph Callander
November 29, 2019 at 9:44 pm
Time for Constitutional Carry We shouldn’t have to pay a fee for our Constitutional Rights Need to VOTE every damn Gun Grabbing Democrat OUT.
Sonja Emily Fitch
November 30, 2019 at 6:19 am
ONCE AGAIN THE GOOD AND DECENT DEMOCRATS DEBATE, DISCUSS AND PROPOSE CHANGES FOR THE GOOD OF ALL. THE SAD OD BRAIN WASHED goptrump CULT FOLKS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA OF GOOD FOR ALL. THE goptrump CULT RUN AROUND LIKE CHICKENS WITH THEIR HEADS CUT OFF YELLING GIVE ME MY GUNS. YO STUPID OF THE goptrump CULT THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. THIS IS ABOUT COMMON GOOD FOR ALL FLORIDIANS.
Deborah
November 30, 2019 at 3:42 pm
Yo bruh Nikki is NOT responsible for determining whether someone is eligible to buy or own a firearm. That is FDLE so get over yourself. She is literally making it harder to have a concealed weapon permit than it is to purchase a gun. Non sensical
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