Gun & Ammo Sales to Law-Abiding Citizens Banned in Florida
If ever there were a situation that demonstrated the importance of law-abiding citizens arming themselves, the civil unrest raging throughout the nation right now would be it.
Vandals and looters have ravaged American cities for more than a week after a viral video showed a white police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, as Floyd repeatedly appealed to the officer that he was unable to breathe.
Floyd lost consciousness and ultimately died, which set off violent protests in Minneapolis, where the initial incident occurred, and quickly spread throughout cities in the United States.
While marauding crowds packed city streets night after night, some communities needed to fend for themselves.
Unfortunately for residents of the Sunshine State, a provision in Florida law essentially disarms its own people during these times.
The statute prohibits the sale, display for sale or public carrying of guns and ammunition during a state of emergency if declared due to riot or other civil unrest.
So in West Palm Beach, where Mayor Keith James declared a 72-hour state of emergency Sunday because of potentially violent unrest, regular folks were left without the means to defend themselves while lawless miscreants prowled the streets.
But in Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd had a completely different approach, which he shared in a media briefing that WTVT tweeted Monday.
“If you value your life, you probably shouldn’t do that in Polk County,” he warned would-be rioters after social media posts urged civil unrest in his jurisdiction.
“The people in Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns and they’re going to be in their homes tonight with their guns loaded,” Judd continued.
“And if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns, so leave the community alone,” he said.
“The people in Polk County like guns, they have guns, I encourage them to own guns… And if you try to break into their homes to steal, to set fires, I’m highly recommending they blow you back out of the house with their guns.” STORY: https://t.co/NjG4Frlphy pic.twitter.com/KH0g3X0POC
— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) June 1, 2020
Judd also stressed that everyone was “united” against the “horrific” crime against Floyd, but that he wouldn’t allow the violent rioters to detract from that fact.
Although the Polk County Sheriff’s Office had also declared a state of emergency, it only lasted from 10 p.m. Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday, The Ledger reported.
The fact that publicly carrying guns and ammunition is explicitly prohibited during declared emergencies for civil unrest is unconscionable.
In the very best of those tense situations, law enforcement resources are stretched thin. In the worst-case scenario, criminals who greatly outnumber those charged with stopping them would have their way with a city, completely unimpeded.
Firearms are most necessary in emergencies, as even during nationwide lockdowns in recent months, firearms dealers and services were declared essential in an advisory list issued by the Department of Homeland Security, as The Wall Street Journal reported at the time.
Besides the fact that such prohibitions clash with the Second Amendment, they are simply impractical and illogical when citizens are under attack by lawless thugs.
Unfortunately, liberals will continue to rejoice at any opportunity to parlay the threat against personal safety into an opportunity to convince the populace to give up its rights in exchange for protection.
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