What do our state legislators do when the Legislative Session is not convened? As we have all seen lately, they are traveling their districts to discover what needs are in the communities they represent. However, some also keep up with federal issues and tirelessly fight to protect Floridians from Big Brother’s overreach.
We are very proud of State Representative Shane Abbott for his initiative to protect Floridians from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Representative Abbott was very concerned over a new ruling implemented and enforced by ATF in May. The new ATF ruling concerning braced pistols classified a braced pistol as a short-barreled rifle. With that classification gun owners of braced pistols would be required to register their pistols under the National Firearms Act. In addition to registering, they would be required to destroy their braced weapon or the pistol braces. The newly implemented ruling carried a felony punishment of up to ten years in prison.
For those of you who are not familiar with a pistol brace, it is an accessory device which is attached to the back of the pistol and straps to the shooters forearm. This device provides stability, anchoring and also provides the shooter with the ability to lengthening the weapon allowing more control and ease of shooting. The device was originally invented in 2012 to help a disabled veteran shoot more accurately. Representative Abbott knew under the ATF ruling that the majority of the pistols with stabilizing braces would be subject to the National Firearms Act controls. So Representative Abbott requested a legal opinion from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to clarify Florida’s stance on the issue.
Attorney General Moody published her legal opinion recently and Florida’s stance under Florida law is that “stabilizing braces are not short-barreled rifles.” Her opinion also included the following: “Unless and until judicially or legislatively clarified, I conclude that the definition of ‘short-barreled rifle,’ which the Legislature enacted in 1969, does not include a handgun, such as a pistol, to which a person attaches a stabilizing brace because the use of such an optional accessory does not change the fundamental characteristic of the handgun.” She also stated “The Second Amendment is alive and well in Florida and our state laws protect the gun rights of law-abiding citizens. We issued this important legal opinion to provide clarity about our state law as the federal government continues to overreach in an effort to over-regulate certain firearm accessories.”
Representative Aboott stated, “The ATF will not be harassing Floridians under this bogus rule.” He took the initiative to help prevent illegal search and seizure of innocent Floridians from being punished by Big Brother’s overreach. Next time you are in the voting booth I encourage you to vote for those individuals who uphold your rights and who take the extra initiative to step ahead to protect you from excessive overreach and taxation. I will leave you with those thoughts and that concludes this week’s edition of The Straight Truth With Mary Ann Hutton.