Florida Gun Control Groups Upset at Uthmeier Need to Pound Sand

Last year, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier stood firm on the Second Amendment by agreeing with a judge that a gun control measure in the state was unconstitutional. This law barred legal adults under 21 from carrying a firearm concealed. They’re adults, you see, but not adult enough for anti-gunners.

He did what many anti-gun attorney generals would do when it came down to defending a law that went against their principles.

And, it seems, anti-gunners in the Sunshine State are displeased with Uthmeier about this.

In a written statement issued Monday, Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor said he disagreed with the attorney general but would comply with his decision. “Given the impact of gun crimes in the State of Florida — including the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in our community, which resulted in the tragic murders of 17 children and adults and severe injuries to 17 individuals who survived — we respectfully disagree with the position taken by the Office of the Attorney General,” Pryor said.

Despite the Broward judge’s ruling, the law remains on the books, and Pryor said as such his office will continue enforcing it.

Florida House Rep. Dan Daley criticized the attorney general for putting conservative political preferences above state law. “While our appointed Attorney General might not be aware, he does not have the authority to abandon a state law simply because he disagrees with it,” Daley said. “I am calling on Governor DeSantis to intervene here. The Governor has previously removed duly elected state attorneys for far less — based solely on statements about enforcement discretion.”

DeSantis has shown no indication that he disagrees with Uthmeier or Ledee on gun rights.

“No single official should be able to decide which laws are worth defending, especially when those laws are designed to protect the public from gun violence,” said Fred Guttenberg, a gun-reform advocate and father of Jaime Guttenberg, who was murdered in the Stoneman Douglas shooting.

Interestingly, none of these people have taken issue with states that have legalized marijuana sales for recreational purposes, nor have they taken issue with the federal authorities for failing to enforce drug laws that have been on the books for decades.

This is without a court finding those laws unconstitutional, for the record.

People like Pryor, Daley, and Guttenberg simply have a double standard when it comes to which laws are worth defending and which aren’t. They expect Uthmeier to be like Pam Bondi was when she was Florida AG, but there’s absolutely no evidence based on past events that they’d take issue with an AG refusing to defend, say, preemption in the state.

Funny, that.

See, the issue isn’t that Uthmeier isn’t defending state law. It’s that he’s not defending the law they want him to defend. Anyone with more than half a neuron can see that’s what this is really about.

Well, unfortunately for them, no one cares.

The people who elected Uthmeier are fine with his decision. They’re fine with seeing legal adults under 21 be treated like legal adults. Don’t like it? Well, tough, because as the people who also scream about how Donald Trump is a threat to democracy, those democratic values mean that elected officials are tasked with respecting the will of the majority, within constitutional parameters.

When that also reflects a respect for basic, constitutionally protected civil liberties, that becomes a win across the board.

The phrase “pound sand” comes into play, and considering the size of Florida’s coastline, finding sand to pound should be easy enough.

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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