Of all the rights enumerated in the Constitution, only one is tangible. That’s the Second Amendment. Your rights to freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom of religion, and others are all legal and philosophical concepts. But the right to keep and bear arms protects real, physical objects.
You can actually hold a firearm in your hand. It’s the physical manifestation of your liberty and freedom.
It doesn’t matter if you’re from a family that can trace its lineage back to the Mayflower or if you raised your right-hand last week and took the oath of citizenship. The right to keep and bear arms is yours forever.
My home when I was a child had a solid foundational belief. As immigrants, my family believed in being armed to make sure the mistakes of Cuba cannot happen in America.
I am the first in my family to be born in the US. That may make my understanding of what the Second Amendment is all about all the more important. I fully understand the sacrifices made by past generations to protect and defend the civil right of Americans to be armed.
Our rights are enshrined in the belief that all people are created equal and have the same legal and civil access to these rights. The government is answerable to the people, not the other way around.
My Cuban immigrant parents taught me the importance of the right to keep and bear arms. In 1959 my family’s homeland was usurped by Fidel Castro, and it was a downhill ride to despotism from that point forward. My family was lucky enough to escape to the US in 1961 and we have owned firearms ever since. My parents wanted to make sure that what happened in Cuba would never be repeated here in the United States..
I understand the need for individual gun rights because of the persecution my family suffered in Cuba at the hands of Castro. I understand that our natural rights are enshrined in the belief that all people are created equal, having equal standing before the law, and that these rights are to be secured and protected by the government, never granted by it. A right that is granted can be taken away.
My entire family is grateful for the shining example of liberty and freedom that America represents to the entire world, and that the U.S. Constitution specifically protects our God-given rights in stark contrast to the oppressive regime that lies 90 miles off the coast of Florida.
A Constitutional Carry Bill Has Been Introduced in Florida
Having a right means being able to freely exercise it without asking for permission first. Constitutional carry simply means that if a person can lawfully own a gun, they can carry it concealed without being granted a permit by government..
Constitutional carry is the law in 17 states including three in the “liberal” northeast. The good news is Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini has introduced HB 123 that would restore the true meaning of what it means to exercise our right to keep and bear arms, freely, and without asking for government permission first.
Republicans control the Florida House, Senate and the Governor’s mansion, but HB 123 has a steep hill to climb in order to be signed into law. I don’t want to see Florida or this country slide toward what my family experienced in Cuba. Expanding constitutional carry is insurance against that happening.
Luis Valdes is the Florida Director for Gun Owners of America.
Click here to tell FL House Speaker Chris Sprowls to support Constitutional Carry.
I agree with every sentiment expressed by Mr. Valdes.
And nice collection! Wheelguns are awesome!
I agree too. Except for the comment, “a right that is granted can be taken away.”
A right that was granted was never a right to begin with.. It was a privilege!
Wheel guns are awesome or awful in the eye of the beholder. Just sayin”.
When I clicked on the link I got:
404 – LINK NOT FOUND
Thank you for pointing that out. The issue has been corrected.
Cue Geoff the Goof telling everyone he wears his NAA mini revolver around his neck. We know, asshat, we know….
lol pasty mouth…What do you mean “We?” Next time stand on your own two feet and take it up with the individual you disagree with or stfu.
Furthermore…Almost every time I see some citizen who legally used a firearm to defend themselves there’s some kind of drum roll and tension release upon hearing the victim had a conceal carry permit. Well yippee yippee f.
A costly time consuming permit to put a coat on and cover an open carry firearm is as stupid as it sounds. These bureaucrats are milking us for background checks to purchase and then they add insult to injury if you want to wear a coat.
Not so long ago you could purchase without any background check. So now that that-freedom is gone it stands to reason when you pay for a NCIC that should include the freedom to wear a damned coat.
Better than the “dunce” label you wear around your neck.
Grow up.
WTF is wrong with you, Mr. “LOL”? You must be a very sad, useless individual to spend so much time leaving San Francisco fudge on everyone else’s doorstep. So, come on…what’s your damage?
I’m a very happy, useful individual. I just like to duck with jokes who think they’re relevant.
So you really do enjoy being the pile of shit that other people have to step over on their way to something worthwhile. Aren’t you special.
You are such a piece of garbage. What is wrong with you to take so much time attacking a stranger on the internet?
Lotta Rinos to overcome in that state. Just like Texas has to overcome theirs.
The link between urbanization and leftism needs to be severed.
Mark,
Any theories as to why that link exists?
Constituents with the “gimme free stuff” mindset evidently increase in number along with population density.
This in turn causes a loss of brain cells (or at least a dysfunction) leading to a “I’m not responsible for my own ____________ (insert any condition or characteristic here e.g. safety, finances, family).
And I’m guessing left-leaning politicians are energized by the emission of gases when those constituents speak. This results in political activity at the cost of common sense and the constitution.
Its a working theory….but I’m sticking with it.
Urbanization and leftism are linked because in the city your ability to be an individual is curtailed. You cannot grow your own food, raise your own animals, change your own oil, shoot in your backyard, etc. you have a vanishingly small area that is “yours”. Any change or improvements you want to make to your situation necessitates acting in coalition with a larger group, thus ingraining the importance of the collective over the individual. Also, when you are unable to do anything for yourself, you tend to shift your views to conform with the group. If the group is life, you agree with the group, whether or not you actually “agree”.
@JoshinTX
You forgot collect your own rainwater 😉
BTW, I fly this boog flag upside down because of all the inner city wannabes that ruined the boog by siding with commies.
@JoshinTX: “. . . in the city your ability to be an individual is curtailed. . . .” I think you are right. And I think that there is a complementary side to this insight.
In a city you can not, e.g., play loud music late at night. And, by the same token, your neighbors are not supposed to do so either. Nevertheless, your neighbors DO play loud music late at night. (Or, pick your pet peeve.)
So, if you live in the city, what do you do about it?
This wouldn’t be much of a problem in rural areas because your neighbor is apt to live too far away to really annoy you. But, in the city, it IS a problem.
You really don’t want to go and knock on your neighbor’s door. You don’t have a strong enough social connection to feel you can do so comfortably. He might take offense and do something to hurt you.
So, you farm-out the problem of resolving the dispute by calling the cops. And, you feel ENTITLED to call the cops; that’s what everyone does who has a beef with a neighbor. And this sentiment undermines your self-sustaining sense of independence. You depend on the cops. You depend on government and the collective to solve your problems.
And so, whenever you are aggrieved the first thought that comes to mind is: ‘There ought to be a law!” and legislators cheerfully oblige. They persuade you that they are there to pander to your every whim.
” you can not, e.g., play loud music late at night ”
Oh, it’s much worse than that. When I first moved to NYC in the mid-seventies I stayed with a friend until I could find my own place. This was in a small apartment building on the upper east side, maybe 8 stories high. Like many NYC buildings, there is no space from one to the next, so there are only windows front and back. To address this, many buildings have an air shaft that goes right down the middle. My bed was right next to this air shaft.
The air shaft is also a conduit for sound. Somewhere above or below me (I could never get a fix on which) there was a very amorous couple, the female component of which was, shall we say, very vocal about her passions and pleasures of the moment. To put it bluntly, the bitch was the loudest screamer I ever heard, and that sound just echoed and ricocheted up and down that shaft, sometimes for hours on end. I was very happy when I moved out, just for the sake of getting some sleep.
So, loud music isn’t even the start of how bad it can get.
Yes I remember the Cuban crisis. I also remember a conversation with one of my elementary school classmates, a Cuban refuge. He said he thought he did the right thing by turning in his uncle for having a firegunm until they drug his uncle in the street and shot him. When I hear of red flag laws and all the other snitch me outs I always think of Hector’s story.
Constitutional carry shouldn’t even be a subject of debate, it is written, I have the right to bear arms. Whomever does not honor the Constitution I evaluate as a traitor to this nation. Good luck Florida
“Constitutional carry shouldn’t even be a subject of debate, it is written, I have the right to bear arms. Whomever does not honor the Constitution I evaluate as a traitor to this nation.”
Amen, Possum! Amen!
We already have Constitutional carry. If the Constitution isn’t good enough, what good will passing another law do?
Wishing them and Utah luck
Of course Constitutional Carry is a possibility in FL, since I just spent a couple of hundred bucks to get recertified and obtain my new FL CCW.
I’m assuming you let it expire. My renewal was about 40 bucks.
Constitutional carry would be great – but we would still need a government hall pass to travel to some states. And a few of those states might rescind reciprocity as we would no longer have to take “training”.
Yes, mine expired. When I first got it, I expected to spend a lot of time in three states aside from my home, namely NV, NH and FL. NH went to constitutional carry, then NV recognized my MA LTC, and I hadn’t gone to FL in years, so I dropped all three. Now I’m back in FL on a regular basis and so I had to start from scratch. 🙁
FL has made it easier. I used to go to Tallhassee to re-up ( faster than mail-in).
Now its the drivers license office in our county. 15 minutes with an appointment.
Efficiently gathering money. LoL
I’m assuming you let it lapse for more than 180 days?
Three years.
Lots of RINO’s down here in FL and a whole bunch of Lefties.
Yeah. We have two RINO senators in Washington.
From what I have heard, the principal reason there is no con carry in Fla is because the Rino majority leader in the Senate keeps exercising a pocket veto by refusing to schedule it for a floor debate and vote. It seems to me that it is rather odd in a democracy where one man can determine the fate of a bill even when a majority would approve it.
It is paramount for the present to conceptualize how foolishly disregarding the unconscionable transgressions of the past can evicerate their possibility of realizing an estimable future.
It’s always been this way- no one can claim ignorance… we’ve been warned.
Here’s a poetic warning from the past describing a future that could have been avoided if people had paid attention. It is frighteningly apropos to our current orientation…
“…The massive grey walls of the Temples rise from the Heart of every Federation city. I have always been awed by them, to think that every single facet of every life is regulated and directed from within! Our books, our music, our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent wisdom of the priests…”
We’ve taken care of everything
The words you read
The songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure
To your eye
One for all and all for one
Work together
Common sons
Never need to wonder
How or why
We are the Priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hallowed halls
We are the Priests
Of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls
Look around this world we made
Equality
Our stock in trade
Come and join the Brotherhood
Of Man
What a nice contented world
Let the banners
Be unfurled
Hold the Red Star proudly
High in hand.
-Rush 2112 II.TEMPLES OF SYRINX (1976)
A prescient warning from the best rock band that has ever existed. I’ve been listening to another song that’s apropos in current events…
When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of Truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can’t we find
The minds that made us strong
Can’t we learn
To feel what’s right and wrong
Cities full of hatred
Fear and lies
Withered hearts
And cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons
Dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
Can’t we raise our eyes
And make a start
Can’t we find the minds
To lead us closer to the Heart
– Rush, “A Farewell to Kings”
https://www.rush.com/songs/a-farewell-to-kings/
God bless the Florida Cuban community patriots and all other Florida patriots!
My wife and I are discussing relocating to Florida from Pennsylvania. The Electoral system here is hopelessly corrupt (as we all saw this past November). We would like to live where our vote actually counts. Florida’s system seems pretty solid. The commies did not make headway in Florida this past election.
I know, I know, hurricanes, bugs the size of bull-dozers, heat and high- humidity. Still, as my wife says “frizzy hair is a small price to pay for freedom”.
Try to house shop outside the “High velocity wind zone” are of the map, and you’ll pay a LOT less in homeowner’s insurance.
We very much appreciate the tip, John in FL!!
Or stay there. And fight.
Most of our left-leaning issues come from northerners moving to the state and trying to re-create the “uptopia” they fled.
Palm cost and …..just about any city in bottom of the state are like “New York southern annex”.
We use to have lots of Canadians here in the panhandle (October to April) until Canada quit paying for some health care procedures.
Specialist38,
I hope your are not suggesting I am some left-leaning northerner intending to re-create the zombie-apocalypse utopia in a new location. I explained that we are looking to settle in a place where votes count and the commies are being held in check.
As for staying to fight…maybe…we are weighing our options. However, when you have little-to-no chance of a free and fair election, staying to fight might mean staying to be oppressed.
Not you specifically as I don’t know you.
But I’ve seen enough snowbirds and rebounders (moved to south FL and then move to North FL when the property taxes got too high) to know that people want many things they had where they were before.
Tree ordinances, pushes for new hospitals that we can’t afford, campaigning again brush control on rights of way are a few things that come to mind.
I’ve lived in a couple places up north and people are shocked to hear how few ordinances and restrictions we in the south have in our activities. People from more populated areas seem to crave more restrictions…..on other people.
, since I just spent a couple of hundred bucks to get recertified and obtain my new FL CCW.
Just renewed mine on line took a picture with the phone sent it with the paperwork and $45.00 had the new one in about 10 days.. Original was $55.00 several years ago (DD214 was my cert.) Don’t care about the money IF Constitutional Carry can happen, but it’s NOT the first time and I would rather see them working on something to counter the “BANS” that “Braindead Biden” and Sweetlips Harris are about to TRY and drop on us while we still have DeSantis…
Yeah, I’m done paying for the right and asking for permission.
Come and take them. I’ll die before I let you, Even if it’s justifiable DGU. Fuck them and their stormtroopers.
Fuck them and their stormtroopers.
Copy that….
FL gun owners, and prospective owners, need to understand that the fight is not over when (or if) the bill becomes law. That’s just the beginning. There will be years of court fights – big ones and little ones – and you must win every one of them. You will have to take Mayors, Judges, Police Chiefs, and many others to court if they violate even the smallest part of the law. You will see a flood of No Gun signs on thousands of private businesses and public areas. Challenge them at every opportunity.
Every State that has passed a Constitutional/Permitless Carry bill has experienced this, including my State of MS.
I always love these throat punches to the liberal agenda. It’s so much better coming from an “outsider” who has experienced the hell they are pushing for. So many immigrants including the “forefathers” of this country know exactly what un-freedom looks like 😉
Even better that you stated how it’s the only right to PHYSICAL property. Which is the only property currently able to strike fear into those who would use those exact same pieces of equipment and worse against it’s own population to silence and subjugate them.
As we saw recently. Funny how the masses cried and pushrd back when the nasty guard and FBI was out during BLM/ANTIFA riots – for a whole year, but they were nowhere to be found when the opposing side used them. Cowards. You just saw real fascism and you hid in your basement.
btw, even Wikipedia has fascism half defined correctly:
“forcible suppression of opposition and strong regimentation of society and of the economy”
The thing they get wrong is that it’s always been a far left ideology.
Luis, this is Fil – great to see you here. Just got my CCW here in Florida but I am going to take your suggestion and write. Thanks!
De Santis campaigned on Constitutional Carry and had THREE years to do it. In fact, he never mentioned it again after he was narrowly elected. I have zero hope Florida will actually get it.
I have zero hope Florida will actually get it.
DeSantis was elected in the 2018 mid-terms and has been Governor since Jan 11 2019… That is two years and 12 days in office with the past 11 months dealing with a fucking “PANDEMIC” and trying to keep the FL economy running in the midst of shut downs and shut ins… DeSantis is the Governor NOT the legislature and unlike those clowns in DC, regular session for FL legislature runs from noon on Jan 14th to Mar 13th per FL Constitution… IF the bill makes it to the floor, is passed by BOTH houses and makes it to his desk DeSantis WILL sign it…..
Constitutional Carry will not negate the need for a CC permit in FL.. That permit covers a variety of things like stun guns, pepper spray, big ass fixed blade knives and other assorted weaponry like other electronic weapons, tear gas guns, and billie clubs….
I can assure everyone there will be NO fight. The right will never be recognized in Florida. If you think otherwise, you don’t know the Florida GOP and what statist trash they are.
The biggest enemy in this fight is Marion Hammer and her allies, not the democrats: The democrats are an obstacle to go around, Hammer and the NRA are active opposition.
Not exactly. GOP is silent but active behind the scenes opposition and she works with that reality.
My GERMAN immigrant grandparents taught me the importance of the right to keep and bear arms. In 1942 my family’s homeland was usurped by HITLER, and it was a downhill ride to despotism from that point forward. Under my great grandfather’s guidance the family left for the U.S.
I’ve felt free all the while since I’ve lived here. I believe all my family has too.
I’ve served my country under arms. I’ve completed my education. I’ve raised a fantastic family. We are contributors, not consumers.
But I fear that Biden and Harris will cause me to emulate my Great Grandfather and to choose to either fight or to leave. I’ve made that decision. I choose to fight.
David W. Walters, Ph.D.
formerly Captain of Infantry, USMC
Semper Fi my Brother….
It’s the only possible decision for those who cherish their First and Second Amendment rights. There is no other place we can run to.
Luis, so nice to read an original article; I’ve never seen the idea that the Second Amendment is the only tangible right. Well put.