By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Democrat lawmakers in Florida are pushing legislation to require background checks for all ammunition transactions, according to WFLA News, at a time when the legislature is considering permitless carry, leaving one to wonder if this isn’t some sort of push-back.
The legislation would prohibit ammunition purchases by convicted felons, anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or had been adjudicated mentally defective or had been committed to a mental institution by a court order. Gun rights activists traditionally argue that criminals don’t get guns or ammunition at retail, and that such legislation only encumbers law-abiding citizens.
With Republicans in control of the Legislature, plus the Governor’s office and the state attorney general’s office, it is doubtful this legislation will go anywhere, especially with the majority party moving in the opposite direction where gun rights are concerned. Last month Republicans introduced legislation to allow permitless concealed carry in the Sunshine State, and while there are some critics in the firearms community because it doesn’t meet their definition of “constitutional carry”—which would also allow open carry—supporters think it’s a good start.
Armed private citizens have been making headlines in Florida in recent days, igniting clashes on social media where strong support for a woman who fatally shot an alleged armed intruder earlier in the week. The incident made news all the way to the Pacific Northwest, where KIRO News described the homeowner as a 67-year-old who was awakened at about 3 a.m. Thinking her husband had come home from work, she went to the door only to be confronted by a man identified as Reginald Best, who forced his way in. When he raised his arms, she reported seeing a gun in his hand, so she shot him. He died at the hospital.
When Putnam County Sheriff Homer “Gator” DeLoach III made the following observation, social media erupted. The Facebook page for Seattle’s KOMO-TV garnered more than a hundred comments, most supporting the woman but some criticizing the incident.
“This call for service is a perfect example of why I continue to support and fight daily for the rights of law abiding residents to own firearms,” the sheriff said. “All firearm owners have a responsibility not only to themselves, but also to their families to maintain proficiency with a gun, as our victim here today clearly has. If it were not for her foresight to arm herself, the outcome could have been much graver. It’s unfortunate that Best was struggling with some apparently profound issues and posed a deadly threat to the victim and her family. She absolutely had the right to defend herself and I’m grateful that her decisive action stopped the threat, and eliminated the risk of further loss of life, making her entire neighborhood safer.”
