Released by the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence ….
COALITION ISSUES STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO GUN LOBBY ATTACKS ON THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S HANDLING OF CONCEALED WEAPONS LICENSING PROTOCOLS
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence released the following statement in response to the gun lobby’s attacks on Department of Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s handling of the processing of concealed weapons licensing.
“Nearly two years ago, our coalition, in an opinion piece published in the Tampa Bay Times, called for the transfer of the concealed weapons permitting system from the Department of Agriculture (then headed by Commissioner Adam Putnam) to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The reason for this request was based on an investigation which showed that between February 2016 and March 2017, the results of background checks on nearly 350,000 concealed weapons applicants were not properly reviewed. When the news broke, the department looked at 365 applicants who had been flagged and determined that 291 of those issued permits should have been disqualified from possessing a concealed weapons license permit.
Since Commissioner Fried assumed her position in the Department, she has worked to address the myriad of concerns associated with the concealed weapons permitting process and we are confident that the proper vetting of over 2 million concealed weapons permittees and prospective permittees is taking place.
“Commissioner Fried is placing the safety of all Floridians over the petty demands of the gun lobby by working to ensure that proper background checks are performed before granting a permit that will allow someone to carry a loaded, concealed firearm in public. The integrity of Florida’s concealed weapons’ licensing background check system must remain paramount to any baseless claims that permits are either not being run or delayed,” said Coalition Co-chairs Angie Gallo and Andy Pelosi
About The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence was co-founded by the League of Women Voters of Florida and The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus to promote evidence based gun safety legislation after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016. It has grown to include more than 100 local, state, and national organizations and includes such diverse groups as the Florida PTA, Equality Florida, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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