Florida Senate Panel OKs Guns In Workplace-with survey

Florida Senate Panel OKs Guns In Workplace - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville

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Florida Senate Panel OKs Guns In Workplace
House Bill Allows It Only For People With Permits

POSTED: 9:42 am EDT March 20, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A bill that would allow Florida residents to take firearms to work and store them in their vehicles is gaining ground in the Legislature after failing last year.

The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice approved the bill with a 7-1 vote. It would allow employees to keep guns in their cars at work, as long as the guns were locked in the trunk or glove compartment.

A similar bill being considered in last year's legislative session failed ess than a week after 32 people were shot at Virginia Tech University.

The House version of the bill (HB 503), which was approved last week by the Environment and Natural Resources Council, would allow only people with concealed weapons permits to bring their guns to work.

The Senate version (SB 1130) gives the right to all gun owners.

Supporters of the bill say people have a constitutional right in the Second Amendment to carry firearms and they should be able to keep guns in their cars for protection.

"I think Americans have a right to protect themselves," Mike Italia told WJXT's Nikki Preede. "I'm all for it."

Businesses oppose the gun legislation, arguing that employers have a constitutional right to set the rules on their own property and should be able to ban guns there if they choose.

"We had an incident with an employee bringing a gun to work, which frightened everybody," said Vince Ferrigno, who owns a small manufacturing firm. "That's one of the reasons I think it's a problem."

Copyright 2007 by News4Jax.com.

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An NRA article (with less information than this article) claims that this is not a good bill, since an amendment added to it would keep companies from being liable for damages if they are not keeping employees safe. I'll try to find that article.

Oh, and hit the survey at the bottom right of the page.

NRA-ILA :: Legislation

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Florida Update on Senate Committee Action for Important Self-Defense Bill

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Date: March 19, 2008
TO: USF & NRA Member and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President

Senate Bill 1130, by Senator Durell Peaden was heard by the Senate Criminal Justice Committee Tuesday afternoon, March 18. SB 1130 was amended with an unfriendly amendment and then passed by a vote of 7 to 1.

The amendment was a so-called "compromise" to accommodate the business groups. The amendment sponsor never told us about the amendment much less showed us a copy before the committee hearing AND WE NEVER AGREED TO the so-called "compromise" or the amendment.

The amendment greatly expands the immunity section and, according to the representative for the Florida Justice Association, it even gives immunity from tort liability for employers even when employers are careless and negligent including when they knew something criminal was about to happen and did nothing.

Following the so-called "compromise" for the business groups, their lobbyists stood up, supported the amendment and then continued to oppose the bill.

The original immunity language in the bill was good language with good protection for business owners and should be restored. It is clear, the intent of the amendment was to harm the bill and the opponents to continue to try to kill it. We will continue to work to pass a good bill.

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Very good news. The NRA can whine all they want about this one (their issue is a non-issue, compared to what is being argued, and they need to get off their high horse if they feel any gun-related legislation has to go through them like they suggest in their article), but I see no issues with these bills after reading them. Once this is in place, the hard work is already done; the rest, like any potential liability concerns, can change later, if need be. Glad to be a Floridian.


-B

BAC,

Do you have a link to the Senate version?