Who are we to judge? However, by all appearances the author does not want to hold the 15-year-old accountable. The article should have more correctly stated: “The firearm was illegally in the possession of a 15-year-old family friend.” In the state of Florida, a 15-year-old cannot legally own or be in possession of a firearm.
A Florida child was grazed by a bullet after a 4-year-old relative fired a gun at the kids’ home, according to authorities.
Tampa Police said the bullet grazed the leg of the 6-year-old, who did not sustain serious injuries but was hospitalized, the Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday.
Authorities said the firearm was hidden under a sofa at the residence and “appears” to belong to a 15-year-old family friend, according to the outlet.
Andrew Warren, State Attorney for Hillsborough County, in which Tampa is located, took to Twitter to weigh in on the incident.
“My anger-fueled tirade on gun safety & the gun violence epidemic does not lend itself to 280 characters. So I’ll just say thank God he’s alive,” tweeted Warren.
Police said that no one else was injured in the shooting, according to the paper.
Whether any adults were home when the shooting unfolded was not detailed in a media release referred to by the outlet.
At least 369 unintended shootings by children occurred in the U.S. last year, leading to 142 deaths and 242 injuries, according to statistics from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
The site and AAP recommend that while guns should not be kept in homes with children, if firearms are present, they should be stored in a safe or lock box.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A gun buyback program was held Saturday in Boynton Beach.
It required the combined efforts of the police, the community, and the church.
With the 4th of July approaching, Minister Dominic Murray knows what that means.
“You’re going to hear fireworks, you’re going to hear gunshots,” he said.
The police presence Saturday at the Boynton Beach Church of God House of Kingdom Worship was not there to mark a crime scene, but to partner up in a crime-fighting effort.
For the first time, Boynton Beach police held a gun buyback program.
“Everywhere there are guns. I have nothing against guns. It’s just people and what they use the guns for,” said Rev. Chiquita Jones.
Functional firearms could be returned with no questions asked.
$100 gift cards were offered in exchange for handguns, and $200 gift cards were offered for shotguns.
As for the church location, that was done for a reason.
“A church is where everybody is to come together and feel safe here,” said Minister Murray.
Church leaders say it’s an effort to continue to build bridges between law enforcement and the community.
“We’re here for them. We’re not against police officers. I’ve got law enforcement in my family,” said Pastor Kenneth Jones.
Police say the buyback was a huge success.
127 firearms were collected and $18,000 in gift cards were distributed.
“I want the community to be peaceful. We come together as one,” Rev. Jones said.
Boynton Beach police to offer gun buyback event for first time in department history
Nikki Fried, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture: “I’m proud to work with Everytown for Gun Safety . . . “
The Florida Department of Agriculture has partnered with Everytown for Gun Safety.
Nikki Fried is ordering Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services buildings to light up orange this weekend to support gun violence awareness.
Wear Orange Weekend runs Saturday and Sunday. Friday was also National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
The department is illuminating the historic Mayo Building located across from the Florida Capitol, as well as the department’s Tallahassee Regional Licensing Office, where the department processes concealed weapons permit applications.
Nikki Fried is bathing her office building orange to raise awareness of gun violence.
“With so many lives lost to gun violence in the Sunshine State and around the nation, it’s important to send a message: we remain determined to see common-sense gun violence prevention reforms enacted to protect our communities,” Fried said. “As the lives of children, parents, friends, loved ones and fellow Floridians have been cut short by firearms, we will stand strong to demand change that honors their memory.”
“I’m proud to work with Everytown for Gun Safety to mark this occasion, which I hope will lead to reflection, persistence, and long-overdue action on gun violence.”
Fried proclaimed Friday, June 4, as Gun Violence Awareness Day in Florida in a proclamation on behalf of the Florida Cabinet.
The key department buildings are lit orange in a partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety, America’s largest gun violence prevention organization.
Supreme Court to Hear Case on Right to Carry Concealed Guns for Self-Defense
The U.S. Supreme Court stepped back into the heated debate over gun rights on Monday, agreeing to hear a challenge backed by the National Rifle Association to New York state’s restrictions on people carrying concealed handguns in public in a case that could further undermine firearms control efforts nationally.
FLORIDA – Bill allowing guns in churches heads to Governor for signature – April 29, 2021
TALLAHASSEE — A proposal that would let people with concealed-weapons licenses pack heat at churches or other religious institutions that share properties with schools is heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Florida Legislature StrengthensFirearms Preemption Enforcement Bill Passed – Bill awaits Governor’s signature
Florida law that prohibits local ordinances on guns and ammunition just got stronger
Currently, Florida law forbids local governments from passing any policies about the “purchase, sale, transfer, taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, storage, and transportation” of guns or ammunition. The entire gun policy area is left up to the state. If local officials violate this law by enacting a gun policy, they are subject to a $5,000 court fine — and the law allows citizens or gun groups to sue the local governments for their attorney’s fees up to $100,000 in damages.
Senator Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota: “The bill closes a “loophole.”
LAWMAKERS GIVE BOOST TO GUNS AT CHURCH
TALLAHASSEE — A proposal that would let people with concealed-weapons licenses pack heat at churches or other religious institutions that share properties with schools is heading to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday voted 24-16 along party lines to give final approval to the measure (HB 259), which passed the House last month. DeSantis’ office did not immediately reply to a question about whether the governor will sign the bill.
Florida law generally allows people to carry concealed weapons at churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions, but it bars being armed on school properties. That leads to people being prevented from carrying guns on properties shared by religious institutions and schools.
Senate sponsor Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, said the bill closes a “loophole.”
“This is about safety,” Gruters said. “We saw what happened in Texas when a church, unfortunately, was the target. Six seconds it took them to secure that location. This gives schools the needed safety they need. It gives churches the additional security that they need. This gives the property owners the ultimate responsibility to make the decision that’s best for them.”
FDACS closed its concealed carry permit application portal at the start of the pandemic. (Editorial comment: In Florida, it is alicense not a permit.)
March 17, 2021
A bill to force the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to keep a concealed carry permit application available online is on its way through the committee process after passing its first House panel Wednesday.
That’s in response to when the department, under Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, took down its concealed carry permit application portal on March 23, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic reached Florida. That portal remained closed for nearly three months while the Agriculture Department faced lawsuits from gun rights groups over the closures.
The move came after Gov. Ron DeSantis recommended state offices temporarily close to the public beginning March 19.
Local law enforcement agencies and tax collector offices throughout the state largely suspended fingerprint services. Halting those services left first-time concealed weapons permit applicants unable to obtain fingerprints from those providers, according to the Agriculture Department. That would have forced the department to issue refunds, which it legally cannot do.
The House Civil Justice and Property Rights Subcommittee voted 10-6, along party lines, to advance the bill.
Bill sponsor Rep. Blaise Ingoglia did not mention Fried, the lone Democrat elected to a statewide office in Florida, while outlining his bill (HB 1343). But he confirmed the effort was in direct response to the closures.
“The reasoning for [the department] closing down the portal was saying that you could not get fingerprints at the time, which was absolutely not true. You could have gotten it at any sheriff’s office,” Ingoglia said.
“By showing that you could do this same thing online as you could do by paper shows that they took it down arbitrarily,” he told the committee. “That’s what we’re trying to stop. We’re saying you have to keep going continually.”
The right to bear arms is a constitutional right, stressed Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican. Yet other portals remained open during the concealed carry permit stoppage.
Democratic Rep. Mike Gottlieb, a criminal defense lawyer from Davie, said he saw the justice system come to a halt at the beginning of the pandemic. Sheriff’s offices and local police departments were not allowing face-to-face contact, preventing fingerprinting, he insisted.
He said he didn’t believe the bill was unnecessary, noting he has a concealed carry permit himself. However, he considered the effort an overreach and “much ado about nothing.”
“This was a very trying time for everybody in society, and to speculate that they took it down for a nefarious reason to deny people their opportunity to have a concealed carry permit is really, I don’t think, our mission here,” Gottlieb said.
In a statement to Florida Politics, Fried called the bill “overreaching, unnecessary and as wasteful as the failed lawsuit filed by fringe activists.” She also highlighted the “record-high” 400,000 licenses issued or renewed last year despite the pandemic.
“State law doesn’t allow us to refund applicants who don’t complete the process, including their fingerprints,” Fried said. “Because fingerprinting was largely unavailable during the pandemic, including from local law enforcement and tax collector offices, we made the responsible decision to temporarily suspend the online portal to prevent frustration from applicants.”
Fried added that the department never stopped processing applications it did receive.
“If Rep. Ingoglia really wants to help improve concealed weapons licensing, he could start with legislation to help us refund applicant fees, instead of politically-motivated bills that are a non-solution in search of a non-existent problem.”
It’s not the first attack the Republican-controlled Legislature has launched against FDACS since Fried took control. Last year, the House voted to strip the department of the Office of Energy and to move it back to the Department of Environmental protection, where it rested until 2011. Fried called that effort, backed by DeSantis, a “partisan power grab.”
Ingoglia’s bill next heads to the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee. Estero Republican Sen. Ray Rodrigues‘ identical version (SB 1882), filed late last month, awaits its first hearing. The legislation would take effect in July.
VENICE, Fla. – Two people were injured in a house explosion in Venice Thursday afternoon, according to Sarasota County Fire Rescue. It happened at 120 Sunset Beach Drive in Venice. Firefighters say two people were refilling (reloading) ammunition with gunpowder in a garage next to a home when the explosion occurred.
FROSTPROOF | Three people were injured in an explosion Friday at the Universal Shooting Academy near Frostproof. According to reports from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted the State Fire Marshall in responding to the accident, the explosion at the facility at 4330 County Road 630 E occurred at 10:43 a.m. Reports said employees Cody Hutto, Tyler Rodgers and Kelley Fazzini were depriming ammunition in the academy’s ammo room when for a reason still unknown, a primer ignited and caused an explosion in the building. Hutto, 21, was struck by a piece of shrapnel to his right calf causing a laceration and by multiple pieces of small shrapnel, one of which appeared to have struck him in or near his right eye, officials said. He was flown to Lakeland Regional Medical Center where he was in stable with no serious injuries. Rodgers, 18, was also struck with small pieces of shrapnel on his right arm and right leg. Both he and Fazzinni, 30, experienced a loud ringing in their ears as a result of the explosion. Neither party had serious injuries. Fazzini drove himself and Rodgers to Florida Hospital in Sebring. The shooting academy is a venue for firearms competition and training. It offers military, law enforcement, and competition training at the 25-acre facility, according to its website.
Our ‘End of Summer Special’ is a concealed carry class that provides the instruction necessary to comply with the State of Florida’s training requirement for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license.
Our September 20th ‘End of Summer Special’ concealed carry class is SOLD OUT. Please contact us for participation in any of our low cost “real” concealed carry and firearm training classes, in which you fire a real handgun on a real gun range. Next available class . . . SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th – 1:00 PM.
Our ‘End of Summer Special’ is a concealed carryclass that provides the instruction necessary to comply with the State of Florida’s training requirement for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license. No other training is required. All materials and equipment is provided. You only need to bring your driver’s license. A certificate of training, good for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, will be issued upon class completion.
The total cost of our ‘End of Summer Special’ Concealed Carry – Minimum Standards class (CCW-100): $35
Pre-registration and full payment is required. Walk-ins are not permitted.
Our Concealed Carry –Minimum Standards class (CCW-100) is not a firearms training class.
If you are looking for a handgun training class that both provides you with a certificate of training that makes you eligible for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license and trains you in the use of a handgun, you will want to take our CCW-101 Handgun/Concealed Carry Qualification Training class.
The cost of our CCW-101 Handgun/Concealed Carry Qualification Training class (CCW-101): $75. A certificate of training, good for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, is issued upon class completion.
In-Gauge of Polk County is a local, non-profit organization that conducts training that prepares you to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.
There is only one Polk County concealed carry class provider that provides official NRA firearms training and advanced concealed carry weapons classes.
In-Gauge of Polk County’s only business is conducting firearms training.
We do not sell guns.
We do not sell ammunition.
We do not sell firearm accessories.
Class registrations are done online. Look for us represented at:
Gander RV & Outdoors – Bartow
Rural King – Lake Wales
The Gun Room – Winter Haven
Brian’s Outdoor World – Lake Wales
West Coast Pawn & Gun – Davenport
No other firearms training (concealed carry class) provider is represented at more retail locations in Polk County.
We encourage you to call around and check with local gun shops or other concealed carry class providers. Check their class cost. Check their class content. Check their on-range, live-fire time.
[ _ ] Check their total class cost
[ _ ] Check their class content
[ _ ] Check their on-range, live-fire time. How many rounds do you fire?
[ _ ] Check their credentials
[ _ ] Check their hidden costs
Ask them if they can provide you with a nationally recognized firearms training certificate.
Ask if they offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee
After you get your answers, call us and compare ours.
In-Gauge of Polk County is proudly partnered with:
National Rifle Association
Central Florida Ridge Friends of NRA
Florida Sports Shooting Association
Civilian Marksmanship Program
Polk Senior Games
If you are looking for unequaled firearms training, for either personal development or to qualify for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, visit our website at: www.ingaugeofpolkcounty.com
Our ‘End of Summer Special’ is a concealed carry class that provides the instruction necessary to comply with the State of Florida’s training requirement for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license.
Our September 20th ‘Summer Special’ concealed carry class is SOLD OUT. Please contact us for participation in any of our low cost “real” concealed carry and firearm training classes, in which you fire a real handgun on a real gun range. Next available class . . . SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th – 1:00 PM.
Our ‘End of Summer Special’ is a concealed carryclass that provides the instruction necessary to comply with the State of Florida’s training requirement for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license. No other training is required. All materials and equipment is provided. You only need to bring your driver’s license. A certificate of training, good for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, will be issued upon class completion.
The total cost of our ‘End of Summer Special’ Concealed Carry – Minimum Standards class (CCW-100): $35
Pre-registration and full payment is required. Walk-ins are not permitted.
Our Concealed Carry –Minimum Standards class (CCW-100) is not a firearms training class.
If you are looking for a handgun training class that both provides you with a certificate of training that makes you eligible for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license and trains you in the use of a handgun, you will want to take our CCW-101 Handgun/Concealed Carry Qualification Training class.
The cost of our CCW-101 Handgun/Concealed Carry Qualification Training class (CCW-101): $75. A certificate of training, good for applying for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, is issued upon class completion.
In-Gauge of Polk County is a local, non-profit organization that conducts training that prepares you to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones.
There is only one Polk County concealed carry class provider that provides official NRA firearms training and advanced concealed carry weapons classes.
In-Gauge of Polk County’s only business is conducting firearms training.
We do not sell guns.
We do not sell ammunition.
We do not sell firearm accessories.
Class registrations are done online. Look for us represented at:
Gander RV & Outdoors – Bartow
Rural King – Lake Wales
The Gun Room – Winter Haven
Brian’s Outdoor World – Lake Wales
West Coast Pawn & Gun – Davenport
No other firearms training (concealed carry class) provider is represented at more retail locations in Polk County.
We encourage you to call around and check with local gun shops or other concealed carry class providers. Check their class cost. Check their class content. Check their on-range, live-fire time.
[ _ ] Check their total class cost
[ _ ] Check their class content
[ _ ] Check their on-range, live-fire time. How many rounds do you fire?
[ _ ] Check their credentials
[ _ ] Check their hidden costs
Ask them if they can provide you with a nationally recognized firearms training certificate.
Ask if they offer a 100% money back satisfaction guarantee
After you get your answers, call us and compare ours.
In-Gauge of Polk County is proudly partnered with:
National Rifle Association
Central Florida Ridge Friends of NRA
Florida Sports Shooting Association
Civilian Marksmanship Program
Polk Senior Games
If you are looking for unequaled firearms training, for either personal development or to qualify for a Florida concealed carry weapons license, visit our website at: www.ingaugeofpolkcounty.com
“That’s what we’re sworn to do. That’s what we’re going to do. You’ve been warned.”
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, no stranger to making viral videos appealing to tough-on-crime politics, released a video Tuesday that said he will make “special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county” if he feels the county is overwhelmed by protesters.
The three-minute video shows Daniels standing in front of 18 deputies as he derides civil rights protesters as godless disruptors and tells them to stay out of Clay County, a suburb of Jacksonville.
“If we can’t handle you, I’ll exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I’ll make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county and I’ll deputize them for this one purpose to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility,” he said.
“That’s what we’re sworn to do. That’s what we’re going to do. You’ve been warned.”
