Florida Carry On Certain Anti-Gun Bureaucrats In the Florida AG's Office

Florida Carry has been doing yeoman's work down in the State of Florida on the issue of carry - both open and concealed. They are currently supporting a case, Norman v. State, which is an appeal from a county court's ruling that Dale Norman, a legal and licensed concealed carry permit holder, violated that Florida's open carry ban when his pistol showed under his concealment garment. The appeal has been accepted by the Florida 4th Circuit Court of Appeals as a constitutional challenge.

However, it seems that certain anti-gun elements within the Florida Attorney General's Office are trying to scuttle that challenge from being heard. Florida Carry notes that Florida AG Pam Bondi has generally been very pro-gun and is not behind this move. They also note that certain local State Attorneys (Angela Corey comes to mind) are vigorously prosecuting open carry cases.

From their release sent out yesterday:

Florida Assistant Attorney Generals and Local State Prosecutors are out of control in fighting against the Second Amendment.

Once again the anti-gun elements in the Florida Attorney General's office are attempting to scuttle the appeal in the case of Norman v. State. The Norman case is the only viable case in the country arguing for recognition of the constitutional right to open carry. Since the appeal was first brought, the West Palm Beach Office of the Attorney General has repeatedly attempted to derail the case based on procedural arguments that the lower court did not properly certify its questions of great public importance. The AG's office even appealed the case to the Florida Supreme Court in an attempt to keep the Fourth District Court of Appeals from hearing the case. They want the case heard by a Circuit Court where a recognition of the right to carry will not have state-wide effect and will be decided by only one local judge. A request was sent to the Assistant Attorney General in Palm Beach asking them to consent to the lower Court amending its judgement to include the certified question in the order of Judgement and Sentence to correct the AG's claimed procedural defect that may exist. Their response: We (the Attorney General's Office) will take "no position"... If the AG's office wanted to take a pro-Second Amendment position and was truly trying to correct an alleged procedural error by the lower court it, would have consented. Instead, they punted. To quote George Carlin, "It's all BS, and it's bad for you." No credible organization could question the pro-gun record of Florida Attorney General Pamela Bondi who has signed on to support many important federal amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court that were filed by other state's AGs, but her own office is apparently in need some deep house cleaning. The ruling and intent of the lower court is clear, that this case be reviewed by a panel of appellate court judges as a matter of great public importance that impacts thousands of law enforcement officers and millions of gun owners. The Attorney General needs to get her anti-gun and anti-self-defense underlings in line if she wants the support of gun owners in the coming election.  Florida concealed carry licensees and others who lawfully possess firearms are being arrested and prosecuted at an alarming rate. The problem is not only with the Attorney General's office.  In two cases that we are involved with, State Attorney Angela Corey's office is wrongfully prosecuting lawful gun owners.  In the first case, a man was arrested on his own front porch for having a handgun in a closed bag... While finishing moving. Corey's office claims that it was no longer his home, since he was moving, and is prosecuting him for a felony.  In the second, a CWFL licensee has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for an open carry ban violation after his shirt rode up over his holster in a store exposing his firearm. It is time to contact Attorney General Bondi's office and politely let her know we trust and support her, but she needs to show her commitment to the Second Amendment by cleaning up the anti-gun elements in her office, including the West Palm office. For Angela Corey's part. It's time for her to find a new job.