Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Gary FineoutMarch 7, 2017

Once the Florida Legislature kicks off its 60-day Session March 7, legislators are expected to pass, or kill, dozens of measures dealing with everything from abortion to gambling and the environment. So far, more than 2,000 bills have been filed, but in the end, legislators usually pass fewer than 300 pieces of legislation each year. […]

Drew WilsonMarch 6, 2017

A restoration of civil rights bill got an amendment from St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes that would give convicts the right to own guns after completing their sentence. SB 934, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Perry Thurston, would automatically restore all other civil rights, such as the right to vote, when a felon completes their […]

Scott PowersMarch 1, 2017

A gun laws debate featuring staunch 2nd Amendment Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon and irrepressible “common-sense reforms” Democrat state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith boiled down Tuesday night between a demand that fundamental rights should not be abridged without compelling reasons, and expressions of perceived compelling reasons. Plakon, a Longwood Republican who sponsored House Bill 6005, […]

Les NeuhausFebruary 20, 2017

Guns, children, neglect, animal abuse, human trafficking and forced prostitution. These aren’t the beautiful, cliché, sundown-on-the-beach Florida stories, but in an attempt to raise public consciousness about these issues we at Florida Politics bring you today’s ‘DCF Files.’ *** On Monday, the Palm Beach Post published a story citing chilling figures from the Florida Department of […]

Michael MolineFebruary 17, 2017

Gun-rights lobbyist Marion Hammer has denounced the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ “Docs v. Glocks” ruling as “activist,” and complained the court “treats gun owners as second-class citizens.” “This activist decision attempts to use the First Amendment as a sword to terrorize the Second Amendment and completely disregards the rights and the will of […]

Scott PowersJanuary 31, 2017

Florida Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon considers 2nd Amendment arguments to be about philosophy and he’d much rather talk about running from house parties when shots break out or watching from behind a car while the man on the other side is shot dead. “This is my reality,” Braynon told a room full of journalists […]

Larry GriffinJanuary 24, 2017

At a Senate Judiciary Committee, a controversial bill that would shift the burden of proof to the prosecutors in Stand Your Ground cases got a pass and continued to move forward. Stand Your Ground is the oft-controversial law which justifies a case where a defendant used force to defend themselves. The bill, SB 128, was […]

Jim RosicaDecember 29, 2016

With the Florida Supreme Court‘s opinion releases on winter break till Jan. 12, several high-profile cases will remain unresolved in 2016. Here are a few, starting with the court’s official case summary: — Debaun v. State of Florida: “This case asks whether laws governing sexually transmissible diseases apply only when the parties involved are a man and […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 12, 2016

On Monday, Broward County Democratic state Sen. Gary Farmer, Jr. filed a bill that would tighten requirements on safely storing loaded firearms. Senate Bill 142 “[revises] the locations and circumstances in which a loaded firearm is required to be kept or secured with a trigger lock … [deleting] provisions relating to conditions for committing the crime of failing to […]

Scott PowersDecember 9, 2016

The number of people licensed to carry concealed weapons in Florida has tripled since President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and now represents almost one of every 13 Floridians. That ratio includes an undetermined number in the millions of Floridians who are not eligible for concealed weapons licenses, such as children, people convicted of […]

Tag: guns
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Guns, gambling and taxes: Legislators return to work

Jeff Brandes amendment would give felons gun rights

Young Dems’ guns debate pits ‘fundamental rights’ versus ‘compelling reasons’

The bad, the ugly and the downright horrible — a roundup of today-in-DCF news

Marion Hammer sees paths around 11th Circuit’s ‘Docs v. Glocks’ ruling

Oscar Braynon: gun legislation is about ‘reality not philosophy’

Controversial Stand Your Ground bill moves forward in Senate Judiciary committee

High-profile Supreme Court cases still hanging fire at year’s end

‘Safe storage of loaded firearms’ bill filed in Florida Senate

Florida concealed weapon license popularity skyrocketing