It's Open Season on Truth
It's tourist season. Can we shoot them?
This is what the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence would have you believe. The Brady Campaign has very publicly promoted its efforts to warn innocent tourists that their lives are in danger if they choose to vacation in the Sunshine State. This propaganda campaign was sparked by Florida's passage of a self-defense act, which took effect Oct. 1.
It goes without saying that the Brady Campaign opposes any law that expands an individual's right to use a handgun, even for a legitimate purpose. However, in this case, when it was unable to defeat legislation by political means, it decided to attack Florida's tourist industry. Make no mistake, despite the Brady Campaign's assertion that its goal is simply to alert travelers, this campaign is clearly designed to punish Florida for passing the new law, by scaring off tourists who are vital to the state's economy.
The Brady Campaign plans to place advertisements in travel sections of several newspapers throughout the United States and abroad, announcing that Florida's "Shoot First Law" has taken effect. "Thinking about a Florida vacation?" the advertisement asks. "A new law in the Sunshine State authorizes nervous or frightened residents to use deadly force."
Is this true? Well, maybe, if the "innocent tourist" decides to attack a Floridian with sufficient force to create a reasonable belief that the use of equal force in self-defense is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. If the Brady Campaign's advertisements keep this type of "innocent tourist" away from Florida, then I applaud the effort.
But this is not the purpose. The purpose is to cause fear. The Brady Campaign does not publicize the fact that the law only allows the use of force by a person who is first "attacked."------
I remember a number a years ago when it was open season on tourists in Florida. The "bad guys" knew that tourists were not likely to be armed and were, therefore, defenseless. Which is, by the way, how the gun control folks would like to keep us. Now, with our concealed carry laws, which permit not only Florida residents to carry a concealed weapon for protection, tourists can protect themselves as well, as long as they have a permit from their state which is reciprocal with our state. What the Brady Bunch won't tell you is that our crime rate went down significantly when our concealed carry law was passed, as it has in every state where laws have been passed to allow citizens to carry a concealed weapon to protect themselves. Of course, that is truth that must be supressed.
The next law to be considered that will protect our right to keep and bear arms is one which will prevent employers from forbidding their employees having a weapon locked in their cars on company property. Many employees cannot carry a weapon for protection on the way to and from work or transport a weapon in their vehicle to take to the range after work because it is against company rules to have any weapon on company property even if it is properly secured in a locked vehicle. Companies think this will keep some nut from coming into the business and shooting up the place. What they forget, like most gun control advocates, is that criminals don't care about the laws or rules. Of course, the media is giving us headlines like "Law Would Allow Guns at Work!" Like folks are going to be strapping on their Saturday night specials and strutting about the office....
sigh
---Katie
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