By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
In a 2006 letter endorsing then-Republican Attorney General Charlie Crist for governor, the National Rifle Association wrote that “no one has been stronger in support of Second Amendment, self-defense, and anti-crime issues than Charlie Crist and we sincerely appreciate your solid pro-sportsmen, pro-Second Amendment, pro-freedom record.”
“Your outstanding and unblemished record on issues important to firearms owners and sportsmen stands above all others and is the mark of a true champion of freedom and the Bill of Rights,” the NRA wrote. “You have earned our endorsement and our gratitude.”
But that has now changed, and it is not for nothing that Crist became the Gunshine State’s worst flip-flopper when it comes to gun rights, critics contend.
Last month, in a letter endorsing the now-Democratic congressman for governor, the gun-control group Giffords said Crist “has always put the interests and safety of Floridians first. That includes keeping them safe from the gun violence epidemic – which is why he has made stopping gun violence a top priority.”
“In Congress, Congressman Crist fought for commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. There, he voted for and cosponsored every piece of major gun safety legislation, including the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and legislation to close gun law loopholes,” Giffords wrote. “These votes allowed Congress to take immediate action against the gun violence epidemic and make Florida’s families safer.”
Once a Second Amendment champion, Crist has evidently become beholden to the gun-control crowd. He flip-flopped on a massive scale and is now trying to ban rights he once swore to protect.
In his latest run for governor, Crist faces off against a powerful incumbent, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has promised to sign a constitutional carry bill before he leaves office, should Florida’s Republican-dominated state legislature ever manage to get out of its own way, pass a bill and get it onto his desk.
Crist’s gun control agenda is even more extreme than Joe Biden’s. While Crist copied much of Biden’s plan – an “assault weapon” ban, ending private sales and declaring war on homemade firearms and gun dealers – he goes even further.
Crist wants to repeal Florida’s powerful preemption statute, which mandates that only the state legislature can regulate firearms. Currently, any public official who tries to regulate guns can face a $5,000 fine and removal from office. Crist wants this to end.
“We should repeal Tallahassee’s Community Safety Pre-Emption that takes control away from communities that know their own neighborhoods best,” Crist wrote. “What works best in Liberty County may not work best in Broward. We should let people have local control, not put all the power in Tallahassee, and let them make the decisions that are best for them, their families and neighborhoods.”
Without the preemption statute, any local school board, city or county commission or any other elected body would be free to enact their own gun laws, which would turn the state into a confusing and legally challenging patchwork of gun-free zones. Crist knows this. He just doesn’t care.
Nowadays, the difference between two political candidates can sometimes be gray. In Florida’s upcoming governor’s race, the difference is black and white.
