The lobbyist for the NRA in Florida, Marion Hammer, is putting the hammer to Florida Sheriff Candidates this year. She sent all of the Sheriffs up for reelection and the other candidates a survey regarding “Stand Your Ground” and Open Carry. The survey questions are severely slanted and in a cover letter candidates are warned that those not answering the survey will not receive an endorsement or help from the NRA. For up-to-date news accounts of this story, photos and to post a comment, please access the links below:
06/17/2012 – NRA goes after Florida sheriffs candidates with survey
Why is this an issue? And why are the questions “slanted?” Of course the NRA, which is a special interest group that lobbies for pro-gun laws, is interested in identifying sheriff candidates that mirror their positions. So would the NAACP, the Urban League, or the ACLU. Could you imagine the NAACP endorsing a candidate that did not openly admire Affirmative Action? And why should the NRA back sheriffs that do not support NRA policy objectives? Your short description of this issue seems to imply that NRA owes endorsements to sheriff candidates–which it does not. Candidates earn such endorsements. But the reason we are even talking about this is because some sheriff candidates want NRA endorsement, but do not want to obligate themselves in writing as supporting NRA objectives. Such candidates are DISHONEST, and deserve the lack of support their personal priorities gain them. They are mere politicians. Our constituents obviously care about this issue a lot, or NRA would hold no power, and our sheriff candidates wouldn’t care if they had NRA endorsement.
We in law enforcement sometimes confuse our priorities. We become steeped in group-think that holds that we–the police–are the only ones anointed with sufficient wisdom and training to have guns. We think that civilians are dangerous with guns. Well, some are. But when you read the Constitution it makes no mention of a litmus test for the rights enshrined in the Second Amendment or any of the Bill of Rights. The people simply have them…period. Like many of my brethren, I’ve been shot at too. Luckily I wasn’t hit. I’ve encountered pistols, shotguns and assault rifles in the hands of thugs in my career, but I’ve never thought honest people shouldn’t have such things. Encountering weapons on the street is simply the price we who swear an oath pay to police in an open society. And that oath of office holds us to supporting our Constituion. I accept that, and am OK with that. And any honest person taking our oath of office should be too.