Chamber of Commerce Anti-Gun??

S

Shane Tuttle

Staff
I read through my email from the NRA-ILA about carrying firearms in your own vehicle recently. I understand some big companies such as Weyerhauser and Disney are quite anti-gun. However, I didn't realise the Chamber of Commerce was knee deep in it also. I just thought they were basically a separate entity that stood neutral to politics, etc. Here's the link and an exerpt from it:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4100

CORPORATE GIANTS ARE GRINDING YOUR GUN RIGHTS
INTO THE DIRT OF THEIR PARKING LOTS.

Dear Florida Gun Owner:

If you have, or plan to have, a Florida license to carry a concealed firearm, or if you ever carry a firearm in your private vehicle for self-defense or other lawful purposes, those rights are in grave danger.

Corporate giants in Florida have threatened to destroy your right to have a firearm in your personal vehicle when you park your private car or truck in a publicly accessible parking lot.

We are currently locked in a costly legal battle in federal court against the Chamber of Commerce and the Brady Campaign. They seek to overthrow the new law, HB-503, passed in April and signed by Governor Crist that protects your right to carry firearms in your private vehicle. This reckless action, brought by the Chamber of Commerce and other gun ban groups, is being funded by well-heeled anti-gun corporate giants.

In April 2008, with NRA's support, the Legislature stood up for your rights and passed legislation allowing you to keep a firearm locked in your private vehicle in publicly accessible parking lots. Governor Charlie Crist stood up for your rights and signed the legislation into law to protect us from corporate giants.

While many business owners, including Sea World and Busch Gardens, respect our constitutional right to keep and bear arms, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation are not speaking for them. The Florida Chamber and Retail Federation are speaking for The Walt Disney Corporation, Publix Supermarkets, Georgia Pacific and other corporate giants that are funding the assault on our constitutional rights.

In this legal challenge to defend our rights, NRA depends solely on your support. And we can't do it alone and won't succeed in protecting our rights unless you act today.

WHAT IS AT STAKE?

Your right to carry is meaningless if you cannot drive into a parking lot owned by a supermarket, theme park, or retail store or any other business that has a bias against firearms ownership and self-defense...and doesn't care about your safety when you are on your way to or from work or in the course of daily business.

This promises to be a long and expensive court battle. But the National Rifle Association is standing right along side the Attorney General of Florida to protect our rights no matter what it takes.

Please join us in this fight to save constitutional rights from big business -- using their mega-million-dollar budgets -- to crush freedom in Florida. Working together, we can fight back and win.
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Am I not seeing the forest through the trees here? I know the NRA can get a bit overzealous at times (with good intentions usually) and can be a bit dramatic on their points. But, is the Chamber of Commerce a dangerous opponent of our 2A freedom?
 
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The Chamber is not necessarity anti-gun...but pro-business. Many business owners feel that they are at risk (liability, injuries, deaths, loss of customer base, etc.) by having guns on their property. I agree that property rights should be respected. As far as the NRA goes on this issue, it's going way overboard (IMO). Moderate minded people may view the NRA as radical on this issue and support additional restrictions. Let's let property owners decide what's best on their property.
 
Its none of the stores business what is in my car. If i want a gun in my cr, ill carry one in my car. How are they to stop me, or know?? I cant see them having their own gun sniffing dog on premises. Ignore the retards, carry a gun. I have carried guns in my car for years. I sleep in my car on occasion, therefore it is my "home"
 
Each local/state chamber of commerce is made up to help the business that make up their membership. Thus, the members make the rules. The parakeet doesn't argue much with the 800 pound gorilla.

Pops
 
This is a cut and paste from my response on another forum

A solicitation for money from NRA like the one above is just the reason I let my member ship expire. They have become just like a TV preacher, asking for money to save your soul and using it to live high on the hog.


If you have, or plan to have, a Florida license to carry a concealed firearm, or if you ever carry a firearm in your private vehicle for self-defence or other lawful purposes, those rights are in grave danger.”

“Corporate giants in Florida have threatened to destroy your right to have a firearm in your personal vehicle when you park your private car or truck in a publicly accessible parking lot”
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“
Total BS

"The Florida Retail Federation, which represents 11,000 retailers, and the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which represents 139,000 businesses are suing Florida Attorney General" to protect their property rights.

They are not suing the NRA. Send you donations to the State of Florida if you don't think businesses should have property rights.

“Florida Chamber of Commerce spokesman Adam Babington wants people to know that the Chamber doesn't have an issue with the right to bear arms. Some chamber members are businesses that sell firearms.
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http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/contentview.asp?c=211963

I shop at Publix and CC all the time with out any problems. I imagine Publix like many companies and businesses have a policy that their employees can not be armed at their place of work. Just like a policy that an employee can not cuss out customers even though it infringes on the employees freedom of speech.

If anyone can find a creditable site were Publix is trying to grind the second amendment into the dirt please post it..

So if you want to boycott and write protest letters to 139,000 Fl businesses. Or send money to Wayne LaPierre or Jimmy Swaggart for that matter it is you right.

I’m going to send my money to Cato
“The case that became D.C. v. Heller was the brainchild of three lawyers at a pair of libertarian organizations, the Cato Institute and the Institute for Justice”

“ Gun-rights groups like the National Rifle Association focused their efforts on lobbying, in the belief that litigation was too risky”
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121642051369066401.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
 
The Chamber is not necessarity anti-gun...but pro-business. Many business owners feel that they are at risk (liability, injuries, deaths, loss of customer base, etc.) by having guns on their property. I agree that property rights should be respected. As far as the NRA goes on this issue, it's going way overboard (IMO). Moderate minded people may view the NRA as radical on this issue and support additional restrictions. Let's let property owners decide what's best on their property.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. As painful as it is to say, I think businesses on private property should not lose any rights because an employee choses to work for that company.

On the same token (I know this may seem to make no sense) I think a business doesn't have the right to search an employee's car for firearms. So, where to draw the line? The car is on the property owned by the business. The contents inside of the car is owned by the employee...

I'm thinking the Chamber of Commerce is caught in the middle...
 
Before MI had CCW reciprocity with WV I emailed 3 Chambers along I77. I travel that route to my daughters. I advised I would not stop, eat or do anything in WV that I absolutely did not have to. I encouraged them to contact legislators and get the reciprocity in place.

I believe if more would do that we all would be better off. Im sure some reading my emails had no idea what I was talking about. We have a lot of educating to do.

Now I do the same with Wisconsin so that when I travel W I can carry. I only have less than 100 mi to travel in WI. I get thru AFAP.
 
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