The sheriff's association is full of crap. Open carry use to be the law of the land here and it's still an UNLICENSED activity in most of the country. Why do they hate our rights so much?

So it's the sheriffs that are opposing open carry? Why? So they can feel more powerful being the only ones to open carry? This stinks and anyone opposing this will not get my vote. When seconds count the sheriffs are just minutes away. Anyone who's ever called on the police knows how long it takes them to arrive and then they act like @holes.

The gun debate is on that will never be won, for every number or statistic against guns there are an equal number for. I think passing this would be good with all the cut backs to the law enforcement dept, am I saying take the law into our own hands, no, but when we need them and they are not there because there are so few what do we do. Governement is taking away those who keep us safe and trying to prevent us from keeping ourselves safe, you can't have it both ways. Maybe we need volunteer police departments, we have volunteer fire departments. More gun control laws are not needed, they are like locks on doors, they only keep honest people honest.

I mean, not that I would ever want anyone to have to die, even the crook that wouldn't care if he killed me or not, but the 'chances' of survival should be on the side of the 'good' not the bad people.

Just as the government,'nay sayer's' think we, the majority of us people, are just a bunch of stupid, irresponsible idiots who don't deserve the right to protect ourselves from the REAL 'loose cannons' out there. It's not just'meth heads' we need to protect ourselves from, imtellin, MOST are the neighbors who are 'mentally malnutritioned' and feel helplessly repressed who are resorting to killing in Jax streets for a few measly dollars. But that's our tax dollars at work, when the government sides with the criminals rights in the streets more than the citizens who EARNED the right to carry by being law abiding people. And Rich7553, I don't understand why bikers are STILL being 'stereo' typed by idiots likes Coats, when A LOT of officers working under cover are/were bikers themselves. There should be NO law that forces us to 'hide' our weapon, this country belongs to the people, not the government. It's high time we stand up to the CROOKS in the street and Washington. GOOD Men and women are still dying for FREEDOMS oversea's everyday, so should it be here that way here.

ah hell,, was it 5 or 6 shots ??? feeling lucky punk ??? go ahead make my day !!! the majority of fools can't manage safely with concealed permits,, let's not go back to the roaring 80's when last we had everyone dressed like wyatt earp packin a six shooter on his hip !!! and a hopped up meth head is gonna have no respect for your gun or mine,, he thinks he is faster,smarter,luckier

Deter crime, not encourage it is right! Just look at the crime rate for the 44 states who have open carry laws. Plus, FBI statistics say that even in open carry states, criminals still conceal their illegally owned handguns. To this day, criminals all across the country still continue to carry their illegally owned handguns, regardless of what the law says. So, why keep forcing the same unrealistic restrictions on the good and civilized law abiding citizens who are only trying to protect themselves and their families against the criminals?

Someone with a firearm could have saved a lot of life's at the theater shooting.By the time the police get there ,its all over.

“The Sheriffs continue to oppose the open carry of firearms for public safety reasons. It is our policy not to comment on bills we have not reviewed. We are happy to provide expert perspective on legislation that impacts public safety once we review the actual bill.” In 1987, the Florida Sheriffs Association lobbied heavily against shall-issue concealed carry, stating they preferred open carry because at least their officers would know who was armed. In the 2011 session, they reversed course and lobbied heavily, using legally questionable tactics by distributing photographs obtained from the drivers license database of scary looking bikers who had concealed weapons licenses, asking committee members if they would want people like that open carrying firearms. Of course, then neglected to remind the legislators that in having valid carry licenses, the bikers had not been convicted of any felony, misdemeanor domestic violence, or habitual substance abuse. They simply looked scary. The FSA claims public safety reasons, yet cannot point to any public safety issues in states where open carry is lawful. Not only that, but their so-called "expert perspective" was demonstrated during the 2011 committee hearings when then Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats was forced to admit under questioning from the bill's sponsor that he had not even bothered to check with his counterparts in open carry states to see if such public safety issues even existed there. Sheriff Coats was also quoted as saying his deputies would "draw down" on open carriers simply because they were carrying a firearm and lacking any reasonable suspicion or probable cause of a crime. Finally, Sheriff Coats stated that "people's rights must be granted responsibly", as if rights were something he and the FSA could arbitrarily deny at their pleasure without due process. The Florida Sheriffs Association claims to support the Second Amendment. I challenge the FSA to show even one pro gun bill they supported.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.What is it that lawmakers do not understand about that? It is a law abiding citizens right under the constitution. America still has a constitution and the people make the laws.Any member of the legislature that blocks the new bill will lose my vote.