© 2016 by Phillip Evans
United States -(AmmoLand.com)- Republican Senate Judiciary Chairman Miguel Diaz de la Portilla is a happy guy.
He single-handedly (with the approval of his boss, Republican Senate President Andy Gardiner) killed SB 300, letting it die in committee by refusing to allow it an up or down vote by committee members.
“Open carry is not going to happen; it’s done…On all of these gun bills, I don’t believe any of them are necessary. They could result in unintended consequences. I think we need to prioritize in our committee, as far as what we hear. We can’t hear every bill that’s referred to us,” said Diaz de la Portilla.
There you have it. He purposely held the bills back not because he thought they didn’t have the votes to pass, but because he personally did not like them (Campus Carry, and Airport Carry in non-secure areas being the other two).
First Amendment Protests
Some (myself included) view the open carry of firearms as a legitimate statement of support for the Second Amendment, as well as a statement to criminals that they may wish to look for easier pickings.
What folks may not realize is that Florida law does not classify black powder revolvers made before 1899 (or their modern replicas) as being firearms, unless they are used in a crime. Since openly carrying a non-firearm object is not a crime in Florida, black power revolvers such as this 1858 Navy model are legal to carry in a holster in plain view:
It also is not a crime to carry any modern-design pistol in any fanny-pack, bag, or purse of any kind as long as it remains completely concealed. This is true even if that container is shaped like a pistol – hint, hint. The next best thing to open carry is concealed open carry, such as with holsters like one designed for the P38 pistol, which can be found on Amazon:
Just as the open carry of long guns as a means of protest helped to facilitate the passing of legal open carry for pistols in Texas, such First Amendment protests as suggested above could also help pave the way for legal open carry of pistols in Florida.
Tyranny is not on life support in the Florida General Assembly. It will remain healthy as long as RINOs such as Senators Diaz de la Portilla and Gardiner are able to ram their Democrat agenda down our throats by crushing liberty restoration bills under their boots.
Let the tyrants know that WE PROTEST!
About Phillip Evans:
The author is a self-defense rights advocate and member of the NRA, GeorgiaCarry.org, and FloridaCarry.org, and posts at PursuitOfPatriotism.Blogspot.