Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Adam WeinsteinJanuary 26, 2015

Four years ago, John Thrasher did something incredibly brave. As chairman of the Florida Senate’s Rules Committee and one of the state’s most powerful Republicans, he bucked his entire party and one of its most powerful lobbying partners in 2011 to kill a bill that would have let Floridians carry guns openly on school campuses, […]

Adam WeinsteinJanuary 25, 2015

Four years ago, John Thrasher did something incredibly brave. As chairman of the Florida Senate’s Rules Committee and one of the state’s most powerful Republicans, he bucked his entire party and one of its most powerful lobbying partners in 2011 to kill a bill that would have let Floridians carry guns openly on school campuses, […]

Diane RobertsNovember 24, 2014

It’s happened again: a sick person goes to a college campus, pulls out a gun, and starts firing. And again, the ignorant or just plain vicious people who think the answer to gun violence is more guns squeal that if every Florida State University student, professor, groundskeeper, manager, lunchroom lady, electrician, janitor, ticket taker and […]

Adam WeinsteinAugust 4, 2014

I’ve been trying to catch up with Marion Hammer, the former president of the NRA and top lobbyist for the pro-gun group here in Florida, for years. I’m a lifelong gun owner, but she’s never accepted my offers to meet up for a range day. So I was glad to see she’s writing here at […]

Marc YachtJune 1, 2014

The American tragedy continues with six collegians killed in the sleepy college town of Isla Vista, Calif. The deranged murderer then took his own life after a shooting and stabbing rampage. The father of one of the victims lashed out at the NRA, politicians and all those who impede gun restrictions. In Florida, bullets sent […]

Martin DyckmanApril 30, 2014

On a flight some years ago, I sat next to a French lady who was coming to the United States to visit a daughter married to an American. She was worried about her daughter’s safety in a land so conspicuously infatuated with guns. I wonder what the lady must think of us now. Since then, […]

Julie DelegalJanuary 20, 2014

There is a middle-aged man I know who lives in a small structure — not the “main house” — on his family’s rural property. The man is fond of alcohol, which might have something to do with why he lost his job and his marriage. In his eyes, though, the troubles in his life trace […]

Guest AuthorDecember 9, 2013

On Dec. 14, President Obama will mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Here’s what the nation should agree to — no parent should ever have to endure the tragedy of burying his or her child. And that’s where the agreement will end. Obama will use this opportunity to insult gun owners, […]

Guest AuthorNovember 20, 2013

Recent developments in the Florida Panhandle have reinforced the sad fact that we are increasingly becoming two nations under the gun. The divide widens between those who believe the Second Amendment right to bear arms trumps every other constitutional guarantee and those who disagree. Both sides, winners and losers, are keeping score. Liberty County Sheriff […]

Guest AuthorOctober 31, 2013

The U.S. Constitution includes very specific protection for the right of citizens to bear arms. It does not, however, mention any similar right to bear children. With that in mind, I have an idea that will reduce all types of crime and violence without explicitly infringing on the Constitution in the process. What I propose […]

Tag: Second Amendment

Adam Weinstein: Is John Thrasher brave enough to thwart campus guns?

Adam Weinstein: Is John Thrasher brave enough to thwart campus guns?

Diane Roberts: Mixing guns and college kids is a really dangerous idea

Adam Weinstein: NRA and its “Docs vs. Glocks” law treat gun owners like children

Marc Yacht: Blame mass killings on lax gun laws, poor mental-health care

Martin Dyckman: The phony ‘right to bear arms’ has become a national insanity

Julie Delegal: America has too much anger and too many guns

Henry Kelley: Expect gun control talk at Sandy Hook anniversary

Andrew Skerritt: We have become two nations under the gun

Jim McClellan: A modest proposal to make our streets safer