1st Amendment: Open Carry Protests! © Phillip Evans

Florida and South Carolina have a general ban on the open carry of pistols. A few exceptions allow the open carry of handguns such as while hunting or fishing. 

But wear a peacefully holstered, unhidden pistol on your hip walking down a public road, or into a Walmart, and you get cuffed, stuffed, and jailed by the police, thanks to those Republican politicians that "value" liberty.

However, they can NEVER prevent your exercise of your First Amendment Rights! Well, they could after they'd thoroughly destroyed the Second Amendment, but I digress.

I created this graphic using a free pic of a Beretta pistol (after improving the pistol somewhat). It is free to use for your personal use to put on t-shirts, hats, etc. 

It's the next best thing to Open Carry!

You may need to convert it to PNG format and change the white background to transparent. That's easy with free graphics programs out there.

I also put it as a direct PNG download at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FLopencarry/ where I'm a member. If you join this Facebook group, you will have access to download the file. Please also consider joining FloridaCarry.org and SouthCarolinaCarry.org as paid members if you are in those states, or even if not.

The goal is to embarrass lawmakers into seeing the stupidity of their laws that force us to hide our sidearms under pain of jail and fines, EVEN IF LICENSED TO CARRY!!!

For crying out loud, it's a Constitutional Right! Can anyone name ANY OTHER right that must be practiced in SECRET???

Some believe open carry deters crime. It certainly doesn't make it worse, as 45 states have made it legal, some with a license, and some with no license at all needed, such as Alabama and North Carolina.

Download and share this graphic on Facebook, email it to your friends, post it on Internet forums, etc. Make this graphic go viral! I get no money from it.

EMAIL and CALL your lawmakers in Florida and South Carolina and tell them you are going to do wear this message until they RESTORE YOUR LIBERTY!

Tell them you are TIRED of your Second Amendment Rights being treated like a SECOND CLASS right!

Time to lawfully PROTEST!!! It got Texas open carry of handguns!

Florida Senator Anitere Flores - How A Traitor Makes Empty Excuses © Phillip Evans

Today, I posted the following on Senator Flores' Facebook page (with minor edits here to correct grammar and spelling):

Senator Flores,

Three weeks AFTER the Orlando Pulse shooting, you wrote NRA's Marion Hammer essentially begging for a good NRA Rating and support for your 2016 election. 

And then later you turn around and used that tragic mass shooting as the excuse for you flipping a 180 to turn against our Constitutional Rights. Your traitorous, backstabbing reversal of what you wrote below constitutes a violation of your oath to defend and uphold the U.S. Constitution.

Sounds like you want to pick up some Democrat voters when you run for Mayor of Miami.

Senate President Joe Negron had to have known in advance that you were planning to oppose open carry, campus carry, and airport carry - and used you as a convenient tool to give cover to timid RINO Senators that merely want to give lip service to our rights, but no public votes on bills that restore them. 

He thinks you'll take all the heat, but I will educate people that he is ultimately to blame if he does not overrule you, as he has the power to do. 

It looks like he wants to be forever linked with a traitor, thus becoming one himself. His loyalty to you in supporting your flip-flop sure looks greater than his loyalty to those who desire liberty.

The ultimate head of this monstrosity is Governor Rick Scott, who has no desire to see Senator Greg Steube's pro-carry rights bills on his desk, even though he hypocritically promised to sign them if they got there. Senator Negron is doing the Governor's bidding to make sure those bills die in committee, or that the clock runs out on them.

I know the game you all are playing to derail Senator Steube's pro-freedom, self-defense bills, that once again denies citizens their Constitutional Rights.

“I have always been and will continue to be a fierce defender of our constitutional rights, the Second Amendment, in particular, guarantees a fundamental individual right to keep and bear arms that government has no right to infringe upon. During my years in public service, my record shows that I have acted in accordance with these beliefs and values. It is with that in mind that I humbly seek to be re-elected into the Florida Senate so that I may continue to be a strong advocate for our rights in Tallahassee.” - Anitere Flores, in a July 6th, 2016 letter to NRA Executive Director Marion Hammer where she asked the NRA for its enforcement and support for her 2016 Election. (emphasis mine)

----------

You think that putting people in JAIL for peacefully wearing a visible, holstered pistol in public, even though they are licensed to carry, MIGHT be a government INFRINGEMENT, Ms. Flores? How about you, Senate President Joe Negron?

----------

Here is a link for a terrific article by Cuban American Luis Valdes, along with a comment I posted on the article at Ammoland:

http://www.ammoland.com/2017/03/open-letter-florida-state-senator-anitere-flores/#ixzz4c9xLCPty 

Excellent article, Luis Valdes! You laid out all the points just right.

One thing we cannot forget is that Senate President Joe Negron has the authority to overrule her and put Senator Steube's pro-liberty, self-defense bills directly on the Senate floor for an honest, full up or down vote.

I fear that just like the last Senate President (Andy Gardiner), he has his marching orders from the RINOs in the Senate (as well as Gov. Rick Scott), to keep bills like that from getting a full vote and moving forward.

The timid RINOs only want to give us lip service, but not actually restore our open carry rights. Tourism is always the excuse. To them, dollars are more important than the right of The People to carry their arms in the way they best see fit to protect themselves and their loved ones.

People should be flooding Sen. Negron's email and phones to demand that he not let the same "FIX" happen again this year. If he does, we will not forget it! And we will visibly and vocally protest!

----------

One can only hope that Senator Negron will do the right thing and prove me wrong. I'll be glad to apologize for doubting him if that happens. That means open carry, campus carry, and airport carry undiluted and on the Senate floor for a full up or down vote this session.

South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida Gun Rights Push © 2017 Phillip Evans

Here are some recent posts of mine and quotes by others on Facebook and other places compiled here for your enjoyment!

Graphic by Kaz Vorpal

(While I wouldn't exactly say it causes "gun violence", it sure makes for more victims for armed criminals)

South Carolina has the WORST gun carry laws on the books in the South. (H.3930 and H.3700 are trying to correct some, but not all of this)

1. No open carry (unless hunting or fishing), or you get put in JAIL - even if licensed to carry. 

Forty-five other states don't do that to open carriers (though some states require a license to carry openly, but at least there is no outright general ban). 

2. You must take government mandated training in SC to get your carry license. The expense of training, time off work, and the cost of the license together means some people are just excluded from exercising their human right of self-defense in public. Too bad for them, huh? 

3. ALL public buildings are off-limits to handgun carry, even if licensed - under pain of a FELONY charge. That means even unguarded public libraries, museums, theaters, buildings in parks, buildings in zoos. etc. - if government owned, BEWARE! 

The South Carolina Legislature has made it a practice for YEARS to stomp on the Second Amendment Right of The People. The People have had ENOUGH! Throw the RINOs out of office and get men and women in there that are REAL Americans! Those that merely give lip service to our rights are like a smiling traitor with a knife behind their back. They begrudgingly vote to give us crumbs, but bills that restore too much liberty are blocked with political games.

I think those good ol' RINO boys are still enamored with Jim Crow. They don't want regular citizens, especially Black citizens carrying guns in public openly, or without a license.

That's the very SAME reason ALL public buildings are off-limits in SC, under pain of a FELONY, even if licensed to carry. They don't trust Blacks carrying a pistol into government owned library, park building, theater, etc.

----------

Regarding HB 280, Campus Carry in Georgia:

http://savannahnow.com/opinion/letters/2017-03-19/letters-editor-monday

"Residents of Virginia, Colorado, and Texas have all experienced the horror of mass shootings on college campuses in their states. Surely we don’t want to add Georgia to this list...Let’s be sensible about this in Georgia. Don’t make guns legal on campuses that don’t want them to be carried there. Keep college a sanctuary for learning." - Lynne Gilfillan, Savannah, GA.

Lynne Gilfillan, do you not realize that all the places you listed where mass shootings occurred at college campuses were places where students were disarmed by the government and unable to fight back against their attackers?

Now please explain to me how disarming adult college students kept ANYONE safe at those times. With campus carry, adult students 21 and over who have a license to carry will have a fighting chance to SAVE their lives and the lives of others.

----------

Is there any other right in the Bill of Rights where a citizen must purchase a license first, in order to exercise it?

But GUNS!!! Aaaaah!

Sheeple need to focus their fear of weapons on criminals, not good guys who carry weapons. Folks, criminals don't apply for a license to carry. Why should a law-abiding citizen who carries a concealed firearm or any other personal self-defense weapon be feared?

Under SB24 (bill in the Alabama Legislature), criminal acts using weapons will still be criminal acts. But sheep have a hard time thinking rationally when they're terrified of even touching a firearm.

Politicians should stop enabling the fears of irrational people. But votes, you know. Apparently, that's a disease that is well represented in the Republican party, not just the Democrat party.

----------

Looks like the only path to get the bills to an honest vote in the full Florida Senate is for Senate President Joe Negron to get control of the situation.

He can place the bills (campus carry, open carry, airport carry in non-sterile areas) in other, more favorable committees, or just yank them out of committee and put them on the floor for a vote.

He supposedly supports our Second Amendment Rights. We'll know by the end of this session if it was merely lip service from another RINO, or if he is a real patriot who did the right thing.

Senator Greg Steube has done his part, and I thank him. At this point I can see nothing more he can do, other than to maybe start publicly calling out Senator Negron on this. Perhaps he is hopeful Negron will do the right thing.

What is Senator Joe Negron waiting for? The outcome will now be squarely on his shoulders. Is Senate Pro Tempore Anitere Flores too much of a friend and ally for Negron to honor our rights?

Does Sen. Joe Negron really want to defend Anitere Flores, a turncoat who begged the NRA for a good rating and talked up our rights, only to STAB us in the BACK right when we had some good pro-liberty bills in the works?

Call and email Sen. Negron to ask him what he is waiting for:

negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov
negron.joe@flsenate.gov

District Office

3500 Southwest Corporate Parkway
Suite 204
Palm City, FL 34990

(772) 219-1665

Senate VOIP: 42500 FAX (772) 219-1666 

Toll Free (888) 759-0791

Legislative Assistants

Holly Demers, Carrie Lira, and Kelli Wilson

Tallahassee Office

305 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100

(850) 487-5025
Senate VOIP: 5025

"No More Gun-Free Zones!" © 2017 Phillip Evans

At a rally in Vermont in January of last year, then Presidential Candidate Trump stated he would get rid of gun-free zones.

“You know what a gun-free zone is to a sicko? That’s bait. ‘Gun-free zone?’ And then they walk in with whatever the hell they’re carrying..I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools — you have to — and on military bases. My first day it gets signed, okay? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones.” [Bold mine]

Though President Trump did not specifically mention all Federal "gun-free zones", one should be safe in saying he also supports allowing law-abiding citizens wearing their pistols in many (hopefully most) of those places as well, since he recognizes that any "gun-free zone" is a signal to criminals that unarmed victims are available:

1. Army Corps of Engineers Land (several state parks occupy this Federal land). In fact, his administration is currently paving the way for citizens to carry firearms for self-defense purposes on ACOE land. We should get word on this soon.

2. Post Offices - Ever enter one with armed guards or metal detectors? 

3. Federal Park Buildings - currently firearms carry is allowed in national parks, but the buildings in the parks are off-limits. What if there are no separate restroom buildings or port-a-potties? Then you'll have to disarm before going into the visitor center to find a restroom.

4. Federally owned libraries and museums - Most such Federal buildings do not have armed security and metal detectors at the entrance checking visitors.

5. Federal Cemeteries - Not just buildings here - firearms are prohibited even on the grounds and in the parking areas. So if you want to pay respect to your loved ones buried there, you have to be unarmed while driving to and from the property.

The same ones who died to defend your right to bear arms are mocked by the very government they served. Those that gave the ultimate sacrifice would want their loved ones to be protected while traveling to and from National Memorial Cemeteries.

-------

There is a Federal code section that seems to allow the interpretation that carrying for self-defense inside a Federal building is legal if self-defense counts as a "lawful purpose", but the courts have not ruled on this. In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court IGNORED it in the Bonidy Post Office case:

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/930

"(3)

the lawful carrying of firearms or other dangerous weapons in a Federal facility incident to hunting or other lawful purposes." [Bold mine]

What can President Trump realistically do? 

He can issue an executive order stating that carrying a firearm for self-defense constitutes a "lawful purpose" under 18 U.S. Code § 930.

Then, he can ask Congress for a bill that codifies it.

And please, with any bills to help us, PLEASE leave out the word "CONCEALED". Just have the bills state "CARRY". Period. Let us have the liberty to carry our holstered pistols in plain view or concealed. Some of us prefer not to appear to be unarmed. The public, open exercise of our Second Amendment Rights is also an exercise of our First Amendment Rights. 

My visibly holstered firearm is my statement that I choose to not be a victim, and that you can make the same choice. Carry lawfully in the manner you are comfortable with, and let others do the same.

What can you do?

You can write and call the President, and respectfully remind him to follow through on his promise to get rid of "gun-free zones", and remind him of all the various ones such as noted above. He may not even be aware of the myriad of places citizens are forbidden the means to defend themselves.

President of The United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414

TTY/TTD 

Comments: 202-456-6213
Visitor's Office: 202-456-2121

*** Additionally, to give this national exposure, if you can get through on the phone to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Herman Cain, Mark Levin, Larry Elder, Michael Medved, etc., then talk on-air about wanting President Trump to address the "gun-free zones" of post offices, Federal Park buildings and other unsecured Federal buildings such as libraries and museums, and National Memorials where citizens would be sitting ducks in an armed attack by robbers, nutcases, and terrorists. ***

Pass this along to everyone who cares about protecting themselves and their loved ones!

Open Carry Protests! © 2017 Phillip Evans

In 45 of these United States, open carry of holstered pistols is legal, though some of those states require a license to carry openly or concealed.

Photo by Debra Jean Dean

Two of the states that currently bans the open carry of pistols, except when hunting or fishing, are Florida and South Carolina - even with a carry license.

Those two Southern states are the only Southern states that ban the open carry of sidearms.

And, those two states both have a Republican majority in their Legislatures and Republican governors. The reason that's significant, is that the Republican party has generally been the party that favors, or at least says it favors Second Amendment Rights.

Yet, if you carry a pistol on your hip that doesn't have a piece of cloth over it while shopping in a Walmart or walking down the street in Florida or South Carolina, those Republicans will put you behind bars as if you're a dangerous animal that can't be trusted to be in public.

They talk a good game of supporting our rights to get elected, but then pass and keep laws in place that infringe on our rights.

If you want your rights honored and restored, contact your lawmakers and governor in your state via email and phone, and politely demand that they uphold the U.S. Constitution. We The People have a say in this!

If they won't listen and restore our rights this year, there are ways we can openly protest while remaining within the letter of the law. Don't be content to stay in the back seat!

In both Florida and South Carolina, all of these activities are legal under current law:

1. You can allow the bulge of your pistols to show under clothing while wearing messages on your hats and t-shirts that you are lawfully armed.

2. You openly carry antique black powder revolvers and their replicas. (Be careful of city and county laws in Florida that can restrict the carry of these type of firearms, as they do not enjoy state preemption there).

3. You can put a fabric covering over the grip of your pistol that has a graphic of a pistol printed on it, while the holster itself is visible.

4. You can openly carry your spare ammo magazine holsters.

We can do all of this to show the stupidity of laws that forbids under pain of imprisonment the visibility of our firearms. And we can do it in groups at large public events on public property to make our message even more forceful.

If liberty makes those RINOs in Florida and South Carolina that uncomfortable, they need to switch to the Democrat party. At least that party is upfront about wanting to destroy our rights.

Even if you personally would prefer to not open carry, if you believe it's a right, then help spread the word! Everyone's efforts would be appreciated!

Share this article on Facebook, Twitter, Internet Forums, and email it to your family and friends that want to see our rights restored!

Together, we can all make a difference!