TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
Senate Bill 1158 by Senator Charlie Dean (R) has been scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor Tuesday, March 2, 2010 -- opening day of legislative session.
SB-1158 is a bill to STOP legislative raids to remove (confiscate) gun owner money from the Division of Licensing Trust Fund -- that holds funding to administer the Concealed Weapons & Firearms Licensing program.
Last year the legislature took $6 million from the Division of Licensing Concealed Weapons and Firearm Trust Fund that is intended, by law, to be used solely for administering the concealed weapons and firearms licensing program. (Read background Information below)
Governor Charlie Crist stood up for gun owners and VETOED that trust fund raid.
Senator Dean's bill (like Rep. River's bill in the House) will stop raids in the future.
You must act quickly. URGENT! The Senate Must Hear From You!
PLEASE IMMEDIATELY EMAIL Members of the Florida Senate!
In the subject line put: SUPPORT SB-1158 -- Protect the DOL Trust Fund
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BACKGROUND
SB-1158 provides protection to the Division of Agriculture's Division of Licensing Trust Fund which handles the fees paid by gun owners to administer the Concealed Weapons and Firearms licensing program
In 1987, passage of the concealed weapons and licensing law had a financial contingency:
1. The legislature insisted that the statewide "Shall Issue" licensing process not require nor be dependent upon General Revenue or any government funding whatever. (Certain members of the legislature were determined that no tax dollars ever be used to fund gun owner programs.)
2. The NRA, Unified Sportsmen of Florida and gun owners, insisted that licensing fees be only the amount necessary to administer the program, no more, no less. Further, we insisted that the fees be held in a trust fund and used solely for the benefit of and administration of the program.
That was the agreement. And language was put in the bill to insure that the terms of the agreement were met. – OR at least it was language everyone THOUGHT would protect the agreement and the money.
We've kept our part of the agreement. In the more than 22 plus years that this program has been in effect, not one single dime has ever come from general revenue or any other government fund.
100% of the program funding has come from gun owners.
The other half of the agreement needs to be kept. Raids cannot be tolerated.
That money is held in "trust" until needed to administer the program, including buy or upgrade computers, buy or upgrade other essential equipment and stay technology in a position to run the program appropriately.
This specific trust fund needs to be protected because these funds facilitate the exercise of a constitutional right.
REMEMBER:
When government takes citizen money for general use by government, IT'S A TAX.
When government confiscates user fees from trust funds intended to be used to administer specific programs and converts it to government use for other purposes, IT'S A TAX.
When government leaders claim to oppose tax increases and promise not to create new taxes but then raid trust funds, they have deceived you because THEY HAVE CREATED A NEW TAX.
When the Florida Legislature raids the concealed weapons and firearms licensing trust fund they have CREATED A TAX ON THE EXERCISE OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT.
Courts have ruled that states may not tax the exercise of a right protected by the federal constitution.
IT IS URGENT THAT YOU EMAIL THE SENATE TODAY!
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