Florida GOP Called Out for Double Standard on Gun Rights

Florida gubernatorial candidate David Jolly is deep down the gun control rabbit hole. The one-time Republican is running for the top office in the Sunshine State as a Democrat, which is pretty fitting considering.

And yeah, he’s running on gun control, which at least one of his potential GOP opponents is already having a field day with.

But the state GOP is firing some shots, too.

Florida rejects gun control, rejects socialism, and rejects David Jolly. View our full statement on Temu Charlie’s recent attack on the Second Amendment: https://t.co/WgzdwQ9Ne7

— Florida GOP (@FloridaGOP) July 28, 2025

Tough words, and not completely out of line, either.

However, Luis Valdes, the state director of Gun Owners of America, finds it a tad hypocritical.

Will the @FloridaGOP call out anti-gun Republicans?

Florida Republicans blocked bills that’d repeal:

Open Carry Ban
Under-21 Purchase Ban
Bumpstock Ban
Red Flag Orders
Waiting Periods
Campus Carry Ban

Going after @davidjollyfl, but not anti-gun Republicans is hypocritical. https://t.co/nP4v6AEvB2 pic.twitter.com/lnk5iakNq9

— Luis Valdes (@RealFLGunLobby) July 29, 2025

He’s not necessarily wrong.

I mean, I get that the state party is going to maintain a certain amount of “broad tent” philosophy in order to not engage in purity tests that ultimately hurt the state party. I get that.

But if you’re going to blast Jolly’s view on guns, what about Rep. Hillary Cassell, who Valdes argues has the exact same positions as Jolly? Cassell, who flipped the other direction after the last election, was praised by the state GOP, but has reportedly maintained her anti-gun stance just the same.

I want to welcome @RepCassel to our party! I’ve know her for a long time and I know she will be a valuable addition to our team! Let’s Keep Florida Winning! https://t.co/WWFIVom1lZ

— Evan Power (@EvanPower) December 27, 2024

.@EvanPower, you BLAST David Jolly as an anti-gun Dem, but cozy up to @RepCassel in the @FloridaGOP!

Since she now has an R next to her name instead of a D. Her being anti-gun is okay?

She voted AGAINST a pro-gun bill, TWICE this year, is that okay since she’s Republican now? https://t.co/2e7AXffvfy pic.twitter.com/DHCdj7O9EP

— Luis Valdes (@RealFLGunLobby) May 1, 2025

The truth of the matter is that there are numerous anti-gun laws on the books. This is a state where I literally heard a state legislator claim it was the freest state in the nation, with all of this on the books.

I pay a lot of attention to Florida gun laws because I’m not that far across the border. I pay attention to Alabama gun laws for the same reason.

The so-called Gunshine State has a lot of laws that really shouldn’t be on the books. Not in a state that’s pro-gun.

I’ve called it the most restrictive pro-gun state in the nation, and not a single Floridian gun rights activist has disagreed with me on that.

And the state GOP could have done something about that. They had a supermajority in the legislature this year and managed to do next to nothing pro-gun. They got a tax holiday, which is cool, but it’s not nearly enough. They should have gotten so much more done, and they didn’t.

It’s fine that they’re calling out Jolly. Jolly deserves to be called out after the idiotic things he’s said.

But it seems a smidge hypocritical to call out Jolly for his views when you’ve celebrated someone who flipped the other direction but holds those same views. Valdes has a point, and the state GOP really needs to address that, because if they don’t, someone else just might and they won’t have the party’s best interests in mind.

Look, Luis is blunt. He’s a friend, and I can tell you that he’s blunt. That might rub some people the wrong way.

What he’s not, though, is wrong.

The Florida GOP should consider that.

Editor’s Note: The radical left will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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