Nikki Fried Blasts Open Carry Decision, Calls it ‘Dangerous’

Nikki Fried was the highest elected Democrat in the state of Florida. She didn’t really win her seat as agriculture secretary because she was the ideal candidate. She won because her Republican opponent was a train wreck.

Still, she held that office, then made a play for governor, where she got trounced.

Despite the fact that she’s out of public office, she’s still one of the state’s leading Democrats, and she’s got thoughts. Well, she’s got thoughts if you can call them that.

You see, she thinks the ruling on open carry is dangerous, despite 45 other states having open carry with absolutely no issues.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried issued a statement this week strongly opposing the First District Court of Appeals ruling that declared Florida’s ban on open carry unconstitutional. Fried argued the decision “paves the way for open carry in the State of Florida” and claimed it will make Floridians less safe.

Fried referenced rising gun violence nationwide, warning that allowing open carry could embolden criminals and cause public confusion. She urged law enforcement to hold off on recognizing the ruling until a final legal judgment is issued. “This is a moment in history when we need to promote safer environments, not embolden those who could abuse the ruling’s intent to sow seeds of terror,” Fried said.

But the argument raises an important question: why would legally allowing open carry embolden criminals? By definition, criminals do not follow the law. Whether open carry is legal or not has little bearing on those already willing to break gun laws. Instead, restrictions primarily affect law-abiding citizens, leaving them with fewer options for exercising their rights.

Of course, Florida previously had shall-issue concealed carry, then permitless concealed carry, all while people like Fried screamed about how the streets would run red with blood, only for it to never happen. They said the same thing about Stand Your Ground, and that didn’t materialize, either.

Now, Fried is trying to scaremonger about open carry, but the truth is that criminals aren’t going to do it. They’re also not going to just randomly engage someone who is openly carrying simply because they have a gun. Neither of these is consistent with keeping a low profile, which most criminals prefer.

Again, as noted, 45 other states allow open carry to some degree or another, and these fears of hers have never materialized in any of those places. How in the world does she figure they will in Florida?

The issue really is that, as an anti-gun Democrat, Fried has to engage in an involuntary reflex to oppose any movement toward liberty on the issue of guns. She can’t stand any gun control measure being repealed, even if the law as it stood was ridiculous.

Seriously, I remember seeing members of Florida Carry wearing a kind of sock over their handguns that allowed them to both meet the requirements of the law and point out how stupid those laws actually were. This was at a Second Amendment event, too, so that was especially stupid.

Nothing is going to change as a result of this ruling other than people being free to make the decision for themselves, as they should have been able to all along.

Editor’s Note: Fried is just another member of the radical left that will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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