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Florida shoots itself in the foot, again
Just when you think things can’t get any weirder or scarier in Florida, the state goes and ups the ante one more time.
It’s actually kind of nice to be sitting here in Georgia, watching the fiesta of disfunction unfold to our south, but there are some drawbacks as well. Just look at our police reports each week and you'll see that plenty of criminals have been making their way north from the Sunshine State to bring their malfeasance across state lines. Who knows, with so many of Florida’s nutcases ending up in our police reports, anyway, maybe Georgia legislators will try to put greater restrictions on cross-border travel.
So what specifically have they done in Florida this time, and why will their slavish devotion to the absurd finally come to bite them on the behind?
The brouhaha begins with the "stand your ground" law that was passed last year in Florida. The law allows people to use guns or other deadly force in an altercation to defend themselves without first trying to escape. While the National Rifle Association is quick to point out that only the 350,000 people in the state with concealed weapons permits can legally put the law into practice in public places, that is still a lot of people packing heat.
In response to the law, which went into effect Oct. 1, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has begun handing out fliers to arriving tourists at Miami International Airport. The fliers warn that visitors should take "sensible precautions" while interacting with Floridians and cautions that any argument that escalates could end in a shooting. The group plans to pass out the fliers at Orlando's airport, the gateway to Disney World, beginning later in the month.
I don't know about you, but that's not the sort of thing I'd like to read when deplaning in a supposedly family-friendly state like Florida.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who never met an NRA donation he did not accept, scoffed at the actions of the Brady Campaign, calling it "pathetic" in a New York Times story this week.
But Florida won't stop kowtowing to the NRA with the "stand your ground" law. The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Dennis Baxley, has introduced new legislation that would prevent businesses from stopping employees from keeping guns in their vehicles while parked at work.
I don't know about you, but doesn't that sound like a recipe for increasing workplace shootings? We'll get to find out soon enough as there does not appear to be enough opposition to stop the bill.
Who knows, maybe they'll start passing out bulletproof vests at the airport, but hey, it's been a while since the last tourist scare in Florida, anyway.
Remember the carjacking scare that nearly killed Miami tourism about a decade ago? Criminals were following rental cars away from airports and then attacking tourists. Remember the chilling effect that had on state tourism and how much time, money and effort had to be expended to convince the tourists it was still safe to visit the land of Mickey Mouse? I guess the memories are short south of the border.
How much damage will be done this time around remains to be seen, but the tourism ministry in Great Britain has already issued a warning to would-be Florida visitors.
Me, I'll be looking for a plush Flak Jacket Mickey on the next family trip to Disney World.
(Jonathan Maziarz is the editor of the Tribune & Georgian and a regular Friday columnist.)
It’s actually kind of nice to be sitting here in Georgia, watching the fiesta of disfunction unfold to our south, but there are some drawbacks as well. Just look at our police reports each week and you'll see that plenty of criminals have been making their way north from the Sunshine State to bring their malfeasance across state lines. Who knows, with so many of Florida’s nutcases ending up in our police reports, anyway, maybe Georgia legislators will try to put greater restrictions on cross-border travel.
So what specifically have they done in Florida this time, and why will their slavish devotion to the absurd finally come to bite them on the behind?
The brouhaha begins with the "stand your ground" law that was passed last year in Florida. The law allows people to use guns or other deadly force in an altercation to defend themselves without first trying to escape. While the National Rifle Association is quick to point out that only the 350,000 people in the state with concealed weapons permits can legally put the law into practice in public places, that is still a lot of people packing heat.
In response to the law, which went into effect Oct. 1, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has begun handing out fliers to arriving tourists at Miami International Airport. The fliers warn that visitors should take "sensible precautions" while interacting with Floridians and cautions that any argument that escalates could end in a shooting. The group plans to pass out the fliers at Orlando's airport, the gateway to Disney World, beginning later in the month.
I don't know about you, but that's not the sort of thing I'd like to read when deplaning in a supposedly family-friendly state like Florida.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who never met an NRA donation he did not accept, scoffed at the actions of the Brady Campaign, calling it "pathetic" in a New York Times story this week.
But Florida won't stop kowtowing to the NRA with the "stand your ground" law. The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Dennis Baxley, has introduced new legislation that would prevent businesses from stopping employees from keeping guns in their vehicles while parked at work.
I don't know about you, but doesn't that sound like a recipe for increasing workplace shootings? We'll get to find out soon enough as there does not appear to be enough opposition to stop the bill.
Who knows, maybe they'll start passing out bulletproof vests at the airport, but hey, it's been a while since the last tourist scare in Florida, anyway.
Remember the carjacking scare that nearly killed Miami tourism about a decade ago? Criminals were following rental cars away from airports and then attacking tourists. Remember the chilling effect that had on state tourism and how much time, money and effort had to be expended to convince the tourists it was still safe to visit the land of Mickey Mouse? I guess the memories are short south of the border.
How much damage will be done this time around remains to be seen, but the tourism ministry in Great Britain has already issued a warning to would-be Florida visitors.
Me, I'll be looking for a plush Flak Jacket Mickey on the next family trip to Disney World.
(Jonathan Maziarz is the editor of the Tribune & Georgian and a regular Friday columnist.)
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