Proposal to Allow Elected Officials in Florida to carry firearms

How is this in any way a solution? Our schools do NOT need more guns.

If there are safety concerns, have a deputy at the meetings or hold them where people are screened.

The incident I am assuming prompted this was resolved by a former cop and current safety officer.

I agree. and just the thought of certain elected officials with a gun in a public meeting makes me cringe...

They don't call it the Wild West for nothin'

Georgia gun laws changed in June 2010. See NRA-ILA :: Georgia Governor Signs One Pro-Gun Bill and Vetoes Another. Click the link for "Senate Bill 308" and scroll down to the last version (#17) that was approved by Governor Perdue. Guns cannot be carried in government buildings or courthouses (except by law enforcement officers on duty). Still can't have a gun on school property, even in the trunk of your car.

Since our home invasion, I keep two firearms locked in a safe in our bedroom. Even if you have a monitored alarm system, you'd be dead by the time the cops got there if the intruders decided to harm you.

If you're gonna get a gun, please practice regularly at a firing range. It looks easy to shoot a gun, but it's not. It takes training and strength due to the kickback, plus the noise is startling. Not like the pop-guns we used when playing cowboys and Indians as kids. And lock your guns in a safe so a little child or a moody teenager won't kill him/herself.

In Georgia one can apply for a Concealed Weapon Permit. So someone could be packing next to you in line at the grocery store.😱

As far as elected officials go, aren't there armed deputies at meetings there to protect them? And if they are scared for their safety upon leaving a meeting, can't they ask for a sheriff to escort them to their cars? I've done that many times at malls at night when I wasn't comfortable walking to my car by myself. The security officers are always happy to do that.

:idontno:I will neither confirm nor deny the presence of a firearm in my home, car or on my person, but if those who feel the need to come into my home or attack me physically, may or may not regret it.

I don't own a gun - but I've still got MANY ways to make you regret coming into my home uninvited. :wave:

And if you're dumb enough to commit armed robbery, I have no problem shooting you with your own gun.

Since our home invasion, I keep two firearms locked in a safe in our bedroom. Even if you have a monitored alarm system, you'd be dead by the time the cops got there if the intruders decided to harm you.

But do you really think that you'd have time (in the event of a home invasion) to get to the bedroom, unlock the safe, and get the weapon ready? I would imagine that having someone break in would be the most terrifying occurrence, and I don't know that I'd have the presence of mind to complete those simple tasks. Scary stuff.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for people owning guns. I just hear people say that they've got these things and I can't help but wonder how truly useful they'd be in the event of a robbery. I absolutely agree that IF you're going to own a gun, you should practice with it regularly/take all the courses on firearm safety you can, etc. However, I also believe that gun ownership is NOT for everybody and, in some cases, can present MORE of a danger to the gun owner than said home invaders.

I don't think ANYBODY should run out and buy a gun because of a knee-jerk, fear-based reaction to something in the news. Caution and self-evaluation is always advisable.

But do you really think that you'd have time (in the event of a home invasion) to get to the bedroom, unlock the safe, and get the weapon ready? I would imagine that having someone break in would be the most terrifying occurrence, and I don't know that I'd have the presence of mind to complete those simple tasks. Scary stuff.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for people owning guns. I just hear people say that they've got these things and I can't help but wonder how truly useful they'd be in the event of a robbery. I absolutely agree that IF you're going to own a gun, you should practice with it regularly/take all the courses on firearm safety you can, etc. However, I also believe that gun ownership is NOT for everybody and, in some cases, can present MORE of a danger to the gun owner than said home invaders.

I don't think ANYBODY should run out and buy a gun because of a knee-jerk, fear-based reaction to something in the news. Caution and self-evaluation is always advisable.

Our bedroom is on the second floor. We have motion detectors outside the house, so I'd already know if someone were outside the house at night (and they shouldn't be). If I heard one of the outdoor alarms go off, I'd grab a gun in the safe near the bed. If they break in, the second monitored alarm system would immediately go off, and after asking, "Who's there?", I'd have to be ready to go bang-bang from the second floor balcony.

More comfortable with the revolver than the 9mm. Already loaded and I'd just have to push the trigger.

If just the motion detector outside goes off, it's just a deer. I wouldn't shoot it even though it probably is eating my shrubbery and flowers.

How is this in any way a solution? Our schools do NOT need more guns.

If there are safety concerns, have a deputy at the meetings or hold them where people are screened.

The incident I am assuming prompted this was resolved by a former cop and current safety officer.

I agree. and just the thought of certain elected officials with a gun in a public meeting makes me cringe...

I tend to agree.
I'm generally for everyone's 'right to bear arms' (excl. automatic assault weapons, etc.) if for no other reason than in the eventuality some crazy bill like this one gets passed.:shock:

BR, I love ya, but even a trained law enforcement official would not be an accurate shot in that situation. Stress and disorientation are high.

If you truly do need a gun to protect your home, get a shotgun - much better odds of hitting your target and more intimidating as well.

But using locks and having Pepper is better than motion detectors and guns.

Might I also strongly suggest not discussing the details of your home security on the internet? And certainly not in the same place where you announce your travel plans, shopping expeditions, and post pictures of your house. :roll:

the more I think about Rep. Patronis' proposed bill, the more appalled I become. Think for a minute about any public meeting you have attended--especially any having to do with school issues--there could be students, parents with small children, any number of disabled or elderly people in attendance--do we really want one of the elected officials to have a gun at these meetings?

Think of the meetings where tempers have flared because of disagreement--do we need to have an elected official able to decide the issue with a gun?

In the incident in Bay County just prior to the shooting, the room had been filled with students who were being recognized for their work--what example are we setting if we allow any elected official to carry a gun?

I have no problem with an armed deputy in the room; no problem with detectors at the door; no problem with telling everyone who attends they must be searched, leave their backpacks, etc., outside...I just don't see any evidence that all of our elected officials are capable of using good judgment in the heat of an argument or in the situation where there is a shooter...more guns in the hands of more people will just lay the groundwork for more innocent people to die IMO.
Myth of the Hero Gunslinger - NYTimes.com

Other studies have found that states with the highest rates of gun ownership have much greater gun death rates than those where only a small percentage of the population is armed. So, Hawaii, where only 9.7 percent of residents own guns, has the lowest gun death rate in the country, while Louisiana, where 45 percent of the public is armed, has the highest.

Arizona, where people can carry guns into bars and almost anyone can get a concealed weapons permit, is one of the top 10 states for gun ownership and death rates by firearms. And in the wake of the shootings, some lawmakers want to flood public areas with even more lethal weapons.

The Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert has proposed a bill to allow fellow members to carry firearms into the Capitol Building.

Gohmert has enough trouble carrying a coherent thought onto the House floor. God forbid he would try to bring a Glock to work. By his reasoning, the Middle East would be better off if every nation in the region had nuclear weapons.

?That?s insane,? Jenkins told me. ?On Mondays I give a lecture to 120 people. I can?t imagine students coming into class with firearms. If something happened, it would be mayhem.?

He?s right. Jenkins is a lifelong gun owner and he carries a concealed weapon, by permit. He also carries a modicum of common sense. The two don?t have to be mutually exclusive.