I have no friggin’ clue why Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings [above] is dead set against open carry. In fact, I have no idea why ANY police officer would be against open carry. A gun strapped to a civilian’s hip indicates that A) he or she isn’t carrying a concealed weapon and B) he or she is helping prevent crime. You know: deterrence. Oh, but if there’s open carry BAD GUYS will holster-up. Hold on; how can bad guys open carry if there’s a vetting process that stops bad guys from carrying a firearm? In fact, Florida’s convicted felons can’t buy, own, keep, display, conceal or carry firearms. So any felon open carrying might as well be wearing a T-Shirt saying “I’m ready to go back to jail now.” Even bad guys aren’t THAT stupid. So . . . what’s the top cop’s argument against open carry again?
The same nonsense that the Violence Policy Center’s (VPC) been spewing since they had to stop telling Floridians that the gutters would run red with blood if the “Gunshine State” allowed concealed carry. Deming reckons some of the good guys (Florida concealed carry permit holders) are actually, wait for it, bad guys.
So Deming’s political lobbyist—yes, the Sheriff of Orange County not one but two subalterns assigned to curry favor with legislators—heads down to the capital to argue against open carry toting “unlabeled photos claiming they showed members of outlaw motorcycle gangs who had been issued concealed-weapon permits.”
This from the orlandosentinel.com, which goes on to reveal that this was not cricket. Something about privacy. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s stepped in. Ish.
One of Sheriff Jerry Demings’ political lobbyists faces questioning by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over last week’s release of concealed weapon permit holders’ photographs to legislators considering an open-carry law.
FDLE stepped in after being requested by the Sheriff’s Office, Demings said Monday afternoon.
The collection of seven photographs was turned over for an outside investigation after the Sheriff’s Office received complaints that Capt. Mike Fewless may have broken a state law prohibiting the disclosure of permit holders’ identities.
Here’s the thing: we live in a society where people are supposedly innocent until proven guilty. If a motorcycle gang member has a clean record, why shouldn’t he be able to carry a firearm—openly or otherwise? Doesn’t he have a right to armed self-defense until and unless he does something that terminates that right?
If Deming wants to make biking with convicted felons a crime (should there be any amongst the Wild Hogs), go ahead, make the case. But no; he prefers to keep ALL Concealed Carry Weapon permit holders from bearing arms because . . . what? Cops would lose their lock on exposed guns and, thus, lose some of the presumptive power over taxpayers?
Anyway, what are the odds that anyone from Demings’ office will face any kind of sanction for this reprehensible anti-open carry campaign? Meanwhile, the VPC Tweets “FL: CCW advocates want to hide from legislators fact that outlaw motorcycle gangs get permits.” Bastards.
You can’t be denied your right to carry just because your a biker. Now if your a biker with a record, you’ll be denied a gun license just like any other law breaker. LAW BREAKER=NO GUN LICENSE LAW ABIDING CITIZEN=GUN LICENSE(sometimes)
I think you are right in the area that when cops are not the only ones packing they feel less powerful. One of the reasons this country was so great is that guns made us all equals and that hard work was rewarded. In some states the first still applies, kind of, but the second one is down in the poop chute.
When kids are told dont fight to protect yourself, dont plays sports like Dodgeball, dont drink pop, exercise as long as its not in a “aggressive way”, guns are evil dont use touch them, accept everyone. No wonder why we are in the dumps and digging our hole further everyday.
“When kids are told dont fight to protect yourself, dont plays sports like Dodgeball, dont drink pop, exercise as long as its not in a “aggressive way”, guns are evil dont use touch them, accept everyone.”
All hallmarks of Democratic/liberal/progressive thinking that has become even more pervasive in last two decades or so. They promote a sissy lifestyle where people, at a young age, are “educated” to become dependent and subservient to the will of a few elected, all-wise exempts.
Like Mr. Jefferson said:
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have.”
I’ll be clinging hard to my Second Amendment Right when that day comes.
I am a member of a Motorcycle Club, not a “gang”, as the cops like to call us. I am also a CCW holder in Florida with NO criminal record. If you want to look at an armed “Gang” how about the police. They are as crooked and corrupt an organization as any “outlaw Gang ” I have encountered, maybe even more so.
Well exactly.
Robert, I didn’t quite follow the logic in your post. Isn’t the idea that if we allow open carry and it becomes acceptable to see different types of guys carrying, then a criminal would be able to blend in pretending to be just another open-carry guy minding his own business. This would make it impossible for the cops, as corrupt as they are, to distinguish the law abiding from the criminals. We’d be right back to where we are now, except we’d KNOW that they – the law-abiding and the criminal gun owners – have guns. It wouldn’t be what you said at all, “B) he or she is helping prevent crime. You know: deterrence.”
In fact it would be even worse than that. Not only would the cops have to consider that the open-carry guy might be a criminal in disguise, he could also be one of the not insignificant number of unstable and irresponsible gun owners who have somehow managed to still have a clean record.
Open carry = bad news.
My holster cost more than the guns favored by criminals. You can distinguish easily between good guy and bad guy by examining a few details. Holster? Probably a good guy. Belt from the Belt Man or from Wilderness? Probably a good guy. Gun with a MRSP of 500-2500? Probably a good guy. Wearing a suit, hat, and or tie? Probably a good guy. On the other hand, the guy with the Raven Arms .25 ACP in the “Mexican carry” (no holster tucked in belt) wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with facial tattoos, some of which refer to a gang? Probably not a good guy.
Impossible, unless they learn to use their brains just a little bit.
Hasn’t been a problem here or next door in Vermont in the last 300+ years.
There’s a history of open carry being a deterrent.
Can you point to a situation where criminals exploited open carry in one of the 40-odd states where it’s legal?
B) is the main reason. If we prevent crime – are we going to allow the police to tax us, to control us, to ticket us, to make us comply and obey and stop resisting?
A) would be wrong at least in my case. I listened to the concealed carry argument, that of SURPRISE! for crooks, and found it reasonable so I carry concealed, and I listened to to the open carry argument of NO! and found it reasonable so I also carry openly.
Floridians: one more obstacle remains, the Senate Floor vote, and it is damn close. Gov signature and house floor is a non issue. Bill is SB 234.
PS. In 1987 with shall issue, the sheriffs were saying they preferred open carry to concealed. The Florida Sheriff Association is a vile anti rights group.
From the User’s point of view I think most want Open Carry because this is FLORIDA, you know, where winter is something people have heard of. (It’s something like a walk in freezer but outside.) 95 degrees and 80% humidity, Florida. Where printing or accidental exposure is a violation. OK, an open Hawaiian Shirt will usually cover a cannon, unless the wind blows or you have to reach for an upper shelf or bend over. I don’t really want to strap on a fast draw rig or full IPSC competition harness. I just don’t want to get busted because some high strung hoplophobe notices that I’m not as helpless as he/she is.
Exactly ExNuke. The same here in Texas, where open carry is strictly forbidden and where one can be arrested on a whim of some hoplophobe of simply printing. Most true Texas police officers are pro-carry, while I have noticed that those officers who are from different, less free, areas like to bring those areas with them. I always get the same answer when I suggest open carry; that being, “Well you will be exonerated at court, if you were in fact only printing unintentionally”. I suppose those who always make that statement are independently wealthy and have attorneys on retainer. I don’t, and neither do I have 15 to 20,000 dollars to give away.
First, if it was up to the police bureaucracy, we would not have any gun rights. What makes anyone think the government, especially the police, are concerned about rights?
Second, and as an aside, Jerry’s wife, Val, is Orlando police chief. Don’t ask me how that bit of good luck happened. Anyhow, about a year ago, Val left her piece in a bag in her car, overnight in her driveway. Someone broke into her SUV and stole it. She tried to keep the incident under wraps, but the story broke just the same. Val and Jerry are everything you’d expect them to be. Meanwhile, Orlando/Orange County degenerates into a Third World criminal haven.
I am strongly in favor of open carry in Florida, however I can see the problem for police. Say we have police-line OCCUPY riots in Orlando, similar to what is happening in Oakland at the moment: police on one side with rubber bullets and tear gas and a street full of protesters on the other side being gassed, only now they are all sporting sidearms…somewhere there has to be a middle ground.
The constitution is there for a reason. It detail your rights as citizen of the United states of America. Is written clearly enought ( Is not open to interpretation ). The 2nd amendment sais it all. (A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. ). The 2nd amendment “”IS”” my permit to carry a weapon whether open or concealed for my personal proration and the proration of my family ( period )no if or buts…..
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