The Second Amendment is the ultimate protector of rights, and therefore the most important of our civil rights.  As General Counsel of Florida Carry, Inc., one of my jobs is to inform our members where candidates stand when it comes to our right to keep and bear arms.  On February 12, I reached out to Mayoral candidates Lenny Curry, Anna Brosche, and Jimmy Hill with three questions: 

1. Do you promise to veto any city ordinance that attempts to exercise the local option contained in Art VII, Sec. 5 of the Florida Constitution?

• Do you promise to remove all “No firearms or weapons” or any similar signs from all city-owned buildings and entertainment venues if you are elected mayor?

• Have you committed to any donor to your campaign or any related PAC that you will support new regulations or legislation to ban so called “assault weapons”?

These are important questions.  The first deals with an attempt by progressive elements of our city to close the ‘gun show loophole’.  There have been speakers from various organizations asking the city council to enact such a law for months.  This so-called loophole has nothing to do with gun shows; it’s about requiring private individuals to conduct federal background checks in order to transfer ownership of any weapon. These ‘Universal background checks’ can only work if there is also gun registration, and both allow unchecked power for such activists to subsequently enforce a ban and confiscation.  Make no mistake–registration leads to confiscation. 

The second question addresses the ongoing violation of state-wide preemption code, which clearly prohibits local-government regulation of firearms by cities like Jacksonville. These cities claim that by turning public property over to a third party, they have no responsibility over whether those third parties restrict access to law-abiding gun owners. Cities restricting access to public property for citizens with a concealed carry license is illegal, and we intend for Jacksonville officials to discontinue this practice of turning a blind eye to the flagrant violation of the statute. 

The third question is critical and needs little explanation. It asks these candidates to state clearly, and up front, what promises they have made to donors and special interest groups. 

14% of registered Duval voters hold a concealed carry license, and Florida Carry is the largest independent Second Amendment organization in the state. Our voters have a proven record of voting and building support for candidates who support their rights. You would think that any pro-Second Amendment candidate would relish the opportunity to speak directly to these voters, yet nearly four weeks later, only one candidate has responded to our questions: Jimmy Hill.

Jimmy Hill has committed to vetoing the local option on gun shows if passed by the city council.  He has committed that, if it is within the mayor’s powers, he will restore the right to carry in city buildings. And he has stated that he has not made any promises to any of his donors to support the Ban ‘Assault Weapons’ Now initiative. 

So that leaves the question, where do Curry and Brosche stand?  After over a week with no response, I called both campaigns.  At the time of this submission, neither has returned my calls.

What we do know: We know that Ms. Brosche seeks the support of the same activists mentioned above, who have made clear their plans to violate the civil rights of gun owners.  We also know that Mr. Curry and/or his PAC is taking money from people like Michael Munz, Al Hoffman, and Peter Rummell, who have publicly declared they will not support a candidate who does not support banning lawfully-owned firearms.  In April 2018, Curry stated he opposed new gun restrictions, but that Rummell was still a supporter, which leads us to ask, has Curry made future promises for current support?

Lenny Curry and Anna Brosche, what are you hiding?  Gun voters deserve to know where you stand.