Felons exploit loopholes in Fla. concealed weapons law

blindndead

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http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070129/LOCAL/70128047/-1/news

FORT LAUDERDALE - A pizza driver wanted for fatally shooting a teenaged customer over stolen chicken wings and a man convicted of choking and slapping his 4-year-old nephew for playing with a light switch are among those licensed by the state of Florida to carry concealed guns, a newspaper reported Sunday.

A South Florida Sun-Sentinel analysis of state records found loopholes, errors and miscommunication gave hundreds of criminals access to concealed weapons permits.

Among the roughly 410,000 Floridians licensed to carry a hidden gun: 1,400 people who pleaded guilty or no contest to felonies, 216 people with outstanding warrants, 128 people with active domestic violence injunctions and six registered sex offenders, the newspaper reported.

''I had no idea,'' said Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson, who sits on an advisory panel for the state Division of Licensing, which issues concealed weapon permits. ''I think the system, somewhere down the line, is broken. I guarantee you the ordinary person doesn't know (that) . . . and I'd venture to guess that 160 legislators in Florida don't know that, either.''

The newspaper obtained names of those on the state's concealed weapon's permit list shortly before state lawmakers sealed it from public scrutiny on July 1.

Marion Hammer, a Tallahassee lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, blamed law enforcement gaps, ''bleeding-heart, criminal-coddling judges and prosecutors'' for missteps that put guns in the hands of criminals. Critics say the NRA pressures lawmakers to ignore the problem.

''The people who are intimately familiar with these laws, the people at the NRA, they know exactly what's going on,'' said Kristen Rand, legislative director of the nonprofit Violence Policy Center. Florida's gun lobby and the program's administrators ''know they're permitting some bad people, but they don't want the general public to know that.''

The analysis also found that the number of concealed weapons permits have soared since the state Legislature gave Floridians the opportunity to carry concealed guns in 1987.

Statewide the number of concealed weapons licenses increased from roughly 25,000 to more than 410,000. In rural Dixie County one of every 24 residents has a permit to carry a concealed gun, the Sun-Sentinel analysis found.

In Miami-Dade County, the number of licenses has jumped from 2,200 to 42,521 as of Dec. 31. In Broward County, the numbers soared from 25 to 35,884.

''That's an alarming increase,'' said Coral Springs Police Chief Duncan Foster. ''I don't view that as a positive trend. I view that as a negative. The more guns on the street, the more prone people are to violence.''
 
''That's an alarming increase,'' said Coral Springs Police Chief Duncan Foster. ''I don't view that as a positive trend. I view that as a negative. The more guns on the street, the more prone people are to violence.''

Another asshat chimes in.

E-mail sent to this asshat too.
 
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I love how the media whines about a handful of bad people... which are
dwarfed exponentially in number by the amount of real criminals down there
carrying guns without any permit of any kind. [rolleyes]

-Mike
 
The article doesn't state exactly what the "loophole" is (is it a legislative/legal error or solely a clerical/database error?).

Plus... it's only .39% of the permits issued that are questionable. That's a pretty good rate of efficiency for any bureaucratic permitting system. Although as far as the antis are concerned... they'd say that when firearms are involved, there should be zero margin of error for mistakingly issuing CCW permits.
 
I just did a google search for "coral springs police chief duncan foster", and it came up with his homepage as the first hit. I sent him the following letter.

Dear Chief Foster:

In the 1/29 Gainesville Sun article posted at

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070129/LOCAL/70128047/-1/news

you are quoted as saying, "That's an alarming increase. I don't view
that as a positive trend. I view that as a negative. The more guns on
the street, the more prone people are to violence" in response to a
presentation of the statistics about concealed carry permits in Florida.

If you were not quoted out of context, could you politely explain to me:

(1) how otherwise lawful people become prone to violence after obtaining
concealed carry permits?

(2) how an increase in concealed carry permits equates to "more guns on
the street"? In my experience, "guns on the street" equates to "guns in
the hands of criminals." I suspect those with CCW permits are among the
most lawful people in your jurisdiction.

(3) how the number of guns owned by lawful people relates to the number
of guns available to unlawful people, who do not obey laws restricting
the possession or bearing of weapons in the first place?

(4) why people should be restricted from carrying the means for defense
of self and of loved ones with them at all times, when the police cannot
and *should not* be present everywhere they might be in danger?

Sincerely,
Kyle Rose
 
I couldn't help myself

floridaccwj.jpg
 
uhhh....duhhh

"The analysis also found that the number of concealed weapons permits have soared since the state Legislature gave Floridians the opportunity to carry concealed guns in 1987."

As opposed to the number of permits before Floridians were given the opportunity to carry concealed guns?
 
You too can have Charles Bronson's Signature

On your very own Florida Concealed Weapon or Firearm License[grin]
Commissioner Charles Bronson that is... $117 for 5 years. Recognized by 26 other states. (Non-resident Licenses not recognized in NH or MI).
 
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I've got my Florida and I've never been to that state. One of the best licenses to have. If only it worked in NH... Oh wait, I got my NH too, took like 4 days, and I live in MA...
 
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