Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiOctober 17, 2017

Democrats who believe that running against the Second Amendment is a road to victory in 2018 need to think again, according to a poll released Tuesday. A University of North Florida survey showed that only 42 percent of respondents support a ban on assault weapon and large-capacity ammunition sales; 52 percent of respondents oppose, including 55 […]

Scott PowersAugust 1, 2017

Following the Tampa Bay Times story questioning Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam‘s past visibility on gun rights issues, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is calling him “a recent convert” and questioning his commitments on details. “Now that people have started to catch on that Commissioner Adam Putnam’s a recent convert to the gun rights movement, […]

Jim RosicaJuly 18, 2017

Agriculture Commissioner and Republican candidate for governor Adam Putnam Tuesday said “there is absolutely a pathway” to bring back open carry and to permit what’s called “campus carry” in Florida. “We have a track record of law-abiding citizens in Florida who submit their fingerprints, undergo background checks, and lawfully exercise their Second Amendment right,” he told […]

Peter SchorschMarch 2, 2017

Florida voters don’t want changes to gun laws and are against plans to cut corporate tax rates according to a new poll released Thursday by the University of North Florida Public Opinion Research Laboratory. The poll, which surveyed nearly 1,000 voters, found 63 percent of respondents were against proposed legislation to allow concealed handguns on […]

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, […]

Jenna Buzzacco-FoersterJanuary 5, 2017

A pair of controversial gun bills in the Florida Senate will not be discussed during committee meetings next week According to the Senate calendar, a Judiciary Committee meeting scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday has been cancelled. The committee, which is chaired by Sen. Greg Steube, was set to take up two gun bills during the […]

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 […]

Joe HendersonNovember 22, 2016

Remember that measure some Republicans in the Legislature have tried to pass the last couple of years to allow guns on college campuses? You know, the bill the House passed last year before it died in the Senate (thank goodness). Well, it’s back. Of course, it’s back. It never really left, and it won’t leave […]

Jim RosicaOctober 4, 2016

Attorney General Pam Bondi has declined to weigh in on whether local police chiefs can “direct or permit firefighters in emergency situations to openly carry firearms.” Crestview Police Chief Tony R. Taylor had asked for a legal opinion from Bondi’s office. In an Aug. 9 informal opinion, a copy of which was released Tuesday, Senior Assistant […]

Gary FineoutJune 8, 2016

Months after Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature rejected the idea, the state’s highest court was urged Wednesday to throw out the three-decade-old law that prohibits openly carrying guns in public. Dale Norman, who had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, was arrested by Fort Pierce police in 2012 because his gun was in a holster as […]

Tag: open carry
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Poll: Majority of Floridians oppose assault weapon ban

Andrew Gillum calls Adam Putnam ‘recent convert’ to gun rights movement

Adam Putnam sees ‘pathway’ to open carry, campus carry

Poll finds Florida voters are against campus carry and corporate tax cuts

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

Hearing on gun bills postponed after Senate cancels Judiciary Committee meeting

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

Joe Henderson: Despite opposition, ‘campus carry’ returns

Pam Bondi won’t opine on firefighter open carry question

Sand, surf and gun? Florida’s highest court may say yes