NRA News: Attention Floridians

Urgent Florida Action Alert Regarding HB 1417!

We Must Take Action Now!

"A couple of Republicans are wavering under pressure from corporate giants and may vote against protecting the people who elected them!

Some Florida businesses are searching vehicles and trying to ban guns in cars in parking lots. They are violating the constitutional rights of gun owners and Florida law.

House Bill 1417 protects you from having your private vehicle searched and from punitive action against you by anti-gun business owners who would deny you your right to have a gun in your car for protection. HB 1417 establishes penalties for these ARROGANT CORPORATIONS who think they can control what private property you have in your private vehicle.

The House Environment & Natural Resources Council will hold a hearing on HB 1417 sponsored by Representative Baxley at 8:00am, Wednesday, March 28, 2007.
Please immediately send an email to members of the House Environment & Natural Resources Council and URGE THEM TO SUPPORT HB 1417!

Below is a list of the email addresses of those you need to contact.
(To send one email to all committee members at the same time, block or highlight the entire list and then copy and paste the block into the address section of the email.)

IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL PUT:

PLEASE SUPPORT HB 1417/Protect Firearms/private vehicles

House Environment & Natural Resources Council
Stan.Mayfield@myfloridahouse.gov
Baxter.Troutman@myfloridahouse.gov
Bob.Allen@myfloridahouse.gov
Debbie.Boyd@myfloridahouse.gov
Mary.Brandenburg@myfloridahouse.gov
Faye.Culp@myfloridahouse.gov
Rich.Glorioso@myfloridahouse.gov
Denise.Grimsley@myfloridahouse.gov
Will.Kendrick@myfloridahouse.gov
Paige.Kreegel@myfloridahouse.gov
Rick.Kriseman@myfloridahouse.gov
Richard.Machek@myfloridahouse.gov
Bryan.Nelson@myfloridahouse.gov
Scott.Randolph@myfloridahouse.gov
Trudi.Williams@myfloridahouse.gov
Marty.Bowen@myfloridahouse.gov

YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO CALL THEM:
Rep. Stan Mayfield (R), Chair (850) 488-0952
Rep. Baxter Troutman (R) VC (850) 488-9465
Rep. Bob Allen (R) (850) 488-4669
Rep. Debbie Boyd (D) (850) 488-9835
Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D) (850) 488-0260
Rep. Faye Culp (R) (850) 488-2770
Rep. Richard Glorioso (R) (850) 488-0807
Rep. Denise Grimsley(R) (850) 488-3457
Rep. Will Kendrick (R) (850) 488-7870
Rep. Paige Kreegel (R) (850) 488-9175
Rep. Rick Kriseman (D) (850) 488-9337
Rep. Bryan Nelson (R) (850) 488-2023
Rep. Richard Machek (D) (850) 488-5588
Rep. Scott Randolph (D) (850) 488-0660
Rep. Trudi Williams (R) (850) 488-2047
Rep. Marty Bowen (R) Majority Leader (850) 488-2721

BACKGROUND:

HB 1417 will stop business entities from violating the constitutional rights of customers and employees. Some businesses are discriminating against people who exercise their constitutional rights – they are violating the constitutional rights of gun owners and Florida law.


Your Second Amendment rights are at the very heart of this issue. In addition to prohibiting searches of private vehicles in parking lots. The bills also prevent businesses from asking customers or employees to disclose what personal private property is stored in a private vehicle and prevents action against customers and employees who refuse to divulge that private information. Further, it prohibits action against a customer or employee based on information provided by a third party.

Corporate giants have been trampling constitutional rights. Some are even attempting to coerce and intimidate gun-owners into giving up constitutional rights as a condition of employment.

Your Rights are in Danger!

(1) Your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, to have firearms in your locked vehicle for self-defense and other lawful purposes must be protected from anti-gun businesses;

(2) Your privacy rights, against searches of your private vehicle in parking lots must be protected from anti-gun businesses;

(3) Your right to freedom from coercion, intimidation and termination of employment for exercising constitutional rights by anti-gun employers must be preserved.

HB1417 protects having a firearm in your locked vehicle for lawful purposes and to park your vehicle in parking lots.

Carrying firearms in a vehicle for hunting, target shooting or protection of yourself and your family obviously means you may have the need to leave that firearm locked in the vehicle in a parking lot when you go grocery shopping, to the doctor's office, to the theater, to visit a sick friend in the hospital, to rent a movie, to the shoe store or anywhere else normal people travel to conduct everyday life.

The U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution clearly and unequivocally give law-abiding citizens the right to have firearms in their vehicles for lawful purposes. Numerous businesses are violating the law and banning firearms in their parking lots.

How can anyone justify telling a woman who is being stalked that she can't have a firearm for protection? In many cases police tell these women to get a firearm for protection, because police can't be there to protect her, and calling 911 is nothing more than a government sponsored dial-a-prayer.

A business owner or manager has no more right to say you can't have a firearm in your private vehicle than they have a right to say you can't have a pair of sun glasses, an umbrella, a Bible or a baby seat.

They want your money, but don't respect your rights.

Businesses are not allowed to discriminate against employees and customers because of race, religion, political party, color of eyes, hair or weight. And they certainly can't discriminate because of the exercise of lawful self-defense. Make no mistake, these gun ban policies blatantly discriminate against people who choose to exercise a constitutional right and take responsibility for their own safety.

Please make these important emails and calls today.

Don’t forget to spread the word to your family, friends, and fellow gun-owners that giant corporations are trying to take away our Constitutional right to keep and bear arms!"

____________________________________________________________

I've contacted Florida lawmakers until I'm blue in the face, and would strongly urge others to do so as well.

Regarding handguns, as Florida goes, so goes the nation. Let's continue to be the leader in 2nd Amendment protection, so get on the horn to those wavering REPUBLICANS. And yes, once again Wal-Mart has taken the point and has threatened, cajoled, and browbeaten both its employees as well as elected officials to oppose this measure. They, and those like them, will stop at nothing less than total control of every thought, word, and deed you are capable of uttering if we do not say enough is enough and take back our rights NOW.