Florida has one week left before the 2021 legislative session adjourns on April 30. With a Republican supermajority of 102 lawmakers, you’d think that pro-gun bills would be piling up on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk right now. You’d be wrong.

Luis Valdes, GOA’s FL State Director, speaking before the House’s Judiciary Committee on HB 1409.

Even worse, the legislature’s Republicans are trying to pull the wool over gun owners’ eyes.

On April 15, HB 1409 was debated and voted on in the House Judiciary Committee. HB 1409, which would strengthen the state’s preemption law, was introduced by GOP Rep. Cord Byrd and is fully supported by Gun Owners of America.

The basis of the bill is simple. If a political subdivision of the state passes an ordinance that violates state preemption laws, then a person affected by the local gun control ordinance can seek damages by filing a lawsuit. The political subdivision can’t repeal or change the ordinance to make the case moot.

Rep. Byrd’s bill is on its way to a full floor vote in the House since it passed its final committee. But that doesn’t mean Rep. Byrd isn’t due for some criticism. Why?

Because back on March 17, Rep. Byrd said that, as the chair of the House’s Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee, he won’t bring HB 123 (constitutional carry) up for a vote in his committee since it doesn’t have a Senate companion bill…

With the legislative session coming to an end, we need Gov. DeSantis spend some political capital this spring, summer, and fall in calling for a special legislative session. Under the state constitution, the Governor can request a special session for whatever issue he deems important. Making Florida the 21st constitutional carry state is important and the question deserves a vote by the full legislature.

As state Senator Dennis Baxley said a few years ago . . .

Republican Lawmakers don’t support pro-gun legislation because they don’t hear any negative criticism from their constituency. They take the silence of gun owners as approval.

Read more at The Truth About Guns