Sheriff asked for position on gun owner rights
St Johns County Sheriff David Shoar, who will be returned to office, without opposition for the second time in three elections, along with sixty-six other members of the Florida Sheriff’s Association, are under the microscope by Unified Sportsmen of Florida and one of the most powerful citizen lobbies in America — the National Rifle Association.
Marion Hammer, executive director of the Unified Sportsmen of Florida, told reporters that she sees sheriffs, who are sworn to uphold the Constitution, and then testify against pro-gun legislation, to be in conflict.
Based on responses from sheriffs and sheriff candidates to a survey being circulated, the two organizations are looking for those who are in tune with their future legislative agenda. That includes defending the 2005 Florida “stand your ground” law that allows people to use deadly force — no matter where they are if they fear they are at risk of being killed or seriously injured.
Florida Sheriff’s Association and other law enforcement groups, sheriffs and deputies, have opposed bills the two groups have supported in the past.
In a statement from the Florida Sheriff’s Association, reporters were told:
“The sheriffs in our state have long defended a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms as outline in the Second Amendment of the Constitution. The sheriffs also have a duty to oppose legislation that would reduce public safety and place citizens and law enforcement officers at greater risk. It is unfortunate that some would view this common sense approach as being anti-Second Amendment as this is far from our position.”
Look for NRA and Unified Sportsmen to spend heavily in Florida’s Primary and General Elections to promote those in law enforcement who share their views on self-defense, constitutional protection of firearm ownership and the use of deadly force.
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