This is the third in a series of podcasts concerning the recent appellate court decision lifting Florida’s open carry prohibition. We have interviewed Escambia Sheriff Chip Simmons, attorney Chris Crawford, who represented…
Category: Guns
Podcast: Inside McDaniels v. State of Florida
How a July 4th Arrest Changed Florida Gun Law Forever The First District Court of Appeal’s unanimous decision on Sept. 10 in McDaniels v. State of Florida has transformed gun rights in…
Open Carry Ruling May Change Other Prohibited Places
The appeals court ruling struck down the state’s ban on openly carrying firearm puts pressure on Florida lawmakers. The decision created legal confusion because existing prohibited-places laws were written around concealed carry…
What the New Open Carry Ruling Means for Gun Owners
Florida has officially become an open carry state after the First District Court of Appeals struck down the state’s open carry prohibition. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons recently discussed the implications of…
Podcast: ShotSpotter won’t return
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons is navigating budget realities after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed state funding for the county’s ShotSpotter program, leaving law enforcement agencies to reassess their crime-fighting strategies. Background: The…
Senate unlikely to pass ‘Shots for Tots’ bill
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Days after a mass shooting at nearby Florida State University, the state Senate appears poised to scuttle a controversial proposal that would…
Salzman’s ‘Guns for Teens’ bill advances
Florida House Republicans have voted to advance a proposal (HB 759) that would repeal part of a 2018 law passed after the Parkland school shooting, allowing people under 21 to purchase rifles…
AG Commissioner launches concealed weapon license replacement services in Escambia
Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the launch of concealed weapon license replacement services at Tax Collector Offices in 37 counties across Florida, including Escambia County. These expanded services are…
Okaloosa deputy charged airman shooting
State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden announced today that a direct information has been filed charging former Okaloosa County Deputy Sheriff Eddie Lee Duran, Jr., with one count of Manslaughter with a Firearm….
Gun-related proposals face long odds
By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Amid mass shootings in Maine and Ybor City, Florida Democrats filed bills last week that seek to expand rules regarding the storage…
Daily Outtakes: Guns, Facebook and Baseball – American favorites
Last Saturday night, four people were taken to hospitals late Saturday night after gunshots were fired in Denver. A fifth victim was discovered Sunday morning. All five are expected to survive their…
Illegal guns in Escambia, circa 2011
As I posted earlier, Inweekly has covered the rise of gangs in Escambia since 2007. We have also reported on the illegal guns in our community. Sheriff David Morgan’s war on gang…
Daily Outtakes: ‘Sense of Urgency and Fear’
On my radio show yesterday, Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May confirmed that he had heard many of the same rumors of a gang war brewing. He admitted that he is concerned for…
Operation Brownsville has begun
According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s office website, Operation Brownsville began this morning at 8 a.m. with Escambia County Code Enforcement and Animal Control. They will focus on Brownsville through Friday, June…
Gun deaths among kids rose 50% from 2019 to 2021
Recent analysis of the latest annual mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) by the Pew Research Center found the number of children and teens killed by gunfire…
Third Gun Violence Roundtable
Escambia County Gun Violence Round Table on April 4 The public is invited to attend the Escambia County Gun Violence Round Table hosted by Sheriff Chip Simmons on Tuesday, April 4, at…
Senate Prez opposes lowering gun-buying age
From the News Service of Florida: Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said Wednesday she does not support a proposal to lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and…
Court upholds Gun Age law
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Citing gun restrictions dating to the Reconstruction era, a federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a 2018 Florida law that prevents sales…
Omaha 360 combats gun violence
ABC News’ Brad Garrett has talked about gun violence and ways to reduce it, but the missing piece has always been communities’ commitment and law enforcement’s collaboration with them. That’s why he…
Parkland shooting ‘Feels Like Five Minutes Ago’
By Dara Kam, The News Service of Florida TALLAHASSEE — Five years after a mass shooting that shook Florida, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and Parkland remain inextricably linked to the ghastly…
