Florida: College President Admits they have no evidence against Campus Carry
Emotional speculation and groundless predictions of violence marked the Senate and House Criminal Justice Committee meetings Wednesday, September 16, 2015. State employees lobbied against the campus carry legislation on behalf of college and university administrators and faculty unions.
Under questioning by Sen. Ron Bradley, Tallahassee Community College President Jim Murdaugh, who claimed to be lobbying on behalf of “all 28 college presidents in Florida,” made a profound admission.
Sen. Bradley: “Mr. President, what evidence do you have that carry permit holders engage in gun violence in Florida?”
Murdaugh: “I have no evidence to that effect, sir.”
Sen. Bradley: “This law is only dealing with carry permit holders. Do you understand that?”
Murdaugh: “I do sir.”
In other words, not only do they have nothing upon which to base their political diatribe, THEY KNOW THEY HAVE NOTHING!
State employees have been and continue to lobby against the constitutional rights of the citizens they were hired to serve and who pay their salaries. It is an egregious misuse of public funds — YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
Claims of collective opposition from state colleges and universities doesn’t make them right, it merely reveals their willingness to march in collective unison to advance their own personal brand of anti-gun politics – while denying reality.
Both bills, SB-68 and HB-4001 passed out of committee along party lines: 5-3 in the Senate and 8-5 in the House with Rep. Ray Pilon being the lone Republican to vote with the Democrats.
Here is the link to an outstanding OpEd in the Pensacola News Journal by an FSU Student. It is well worth reading.
I was also at the hearings, both House and Senate and testified before both. I am one of the college faculty members that the proclaim to represent, and I am NOT against Campus Carry. Quite the contrary I am very much for it. SO when they claim to represent the Faculty and Staff they are not being truthful. And I took my personal time to appear so that I did not use any tax payer money to testify unlike some others. I wrote an Op-ed in the Gainesville Sun (http://www.gainesville.com/article/20150830/OPINION03/150829682) that clearly shows that not all Faculty or Staff is againt this, and neither are police officers. I feel like ethics have been thrown out the window when these people get up and state that they are so and so form this college and they represent all. NO YOU DO NOT!