NRA News

Another Business Owner Upset with the Anti-gun Florida Chamber of Commerce

DATE: January 25, 2008
TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
NRA Past President
Executive Director Unified Sportsmen of Florida

We thought you might like to read what Joe Taylor of Ocala sent to the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Your survey on Private Property Rights
Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:50:41 EST
From: Joe Taylor
To: Florida Chamber of Commerce

Regarding your false and misleading "survey" on Private Property rights, such propaganda is why I am not and have no desire to become a member of your organization.

In keeping with your left wing, socialist agenda you have deliberately attempted to confuse Property Owners Rights with our Second Amendment under the U.S. Constitution. Further your Constitutionally (U.S. and Florida) flawed suggestions and attempted explanations contained in this biased offering should be an insult to every true American who simple wishes to protect themselves, their loved ones and even those whom they may not know whose lives may be in peril.

How can you seriously consider yourself a friend of working, tax paying citizens of Florida on the one hand while attempting to deprive them of their Constitutional (again U.S. and Florida) right to protect themselves, or their neighbor, or their co-workers or even someone they may not even know whose life may be in danger.

As a business owner myself, I believe I have the right to determine whom I hire to work for my company and to determine whether they have a criminal or mental history and if they are competent to do the job for which they are hired. I certainly do not believe I have the right to deny that employee the right to avail themselves of the ability to defend themselves, or another whose life may be in imminent danger such situation takes be at my business property or on a public street. And, certainly I would not want, or allow my employees to come to work with a pistol "strapped" to their sides. And you are very aware that such a situation is not what this question is about.

Your "politically correct" agenda does not allow for consideration of the innocent lives that could have been saved, (either in the past or in the future) in the work place, including the public schools and colleges if the employees had not been denied the right to have a firearm in their vehicle. Of course, your normal, "politically correct" response to this statement usually is "if all employees were allowed to have these weapons, how do you know some of them would not use them to injure other employees?" Statistics clearly prove this to be a rather senseless statement.

It is not those individuals that defend their right to self-protection so that they can feel safe in their homes and in their work places that should give us reason for concern. Rather, it is a government and related organizations run amuck with more and more legislation that takes those rights away that will cause the eventual collapse of our Constitution and our precious freedoms.

Bottom line, my seventy two years on God's earth, my military service to my country, my law enforcement experience and my personal experiences in several dangerous situations convinces me that I am correct in my beliefs and so I am content to tell you that I have no interest in supporting your "philosophy" of gun control.

Joe Taylor

Florida is without state and local income taxes because it relies so heavily on tourism to fill the state coffers to the brim and beyond. Can't go scaring the Eloi soccer mom's from dragging their herds to Disney so the business big-wigs are all for creating modern murder holes. Signs bear no weight under the law but they can and do ask you to leave if it is believed one is packing heat. Personally, I've yet to see a local business do something as foolish as ban concealed carry guns, but since law enforcement tends to be clueless about, well, um, the LAW, one proceeds at one's own risk. Had an incident a while back where some two-ton-Tessie called the local yokels via her cell phone after seeing a suspicious bulge, and since it was most likely the only bulge she'd been acquainted with for some time we can give her the benefit of the doubt, but NOT to the arriving constabulary that mistakenly agreed that Wal-Mart doesn't allow handguns on the premises and to do so was indeed a felony.

All ended up well as the law abiding citizen was set free after the uber-lords decided there was really nothing to hold him on, but be careful out there. Some civil servants can be quite vehement in professing the need for their own self-defense over your own.