DATE: March 19, 2015
TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President
State University Campus Police are using your tax dollars to lobby against the Second Amendment rights of Florida citizens.
Senator Minority Leader, Senator Arthenia Joyner (D-Tampa), who opposes SB-176 Campus Carry, by Senator Greg Evers (R-Baker) asked University Police Chiefs to come to Tallahassee for the hearing by the Senate Higher Education Committee on SB-176 on March 16, 2015. Email: [email protected]
In an email to FSU Police Chief David Perry requesting their appearance, Senator Joyner asked that her email be forwarded to university police chiefs and said, "It is my hope that the State University Police Chiefs or their designees will attend the meeting, submit appearance cards, and speak to the committee members..."
Chief Perry then put out the call to come to Tallahassee and ten (10) showed up to lobby against your constitutional rights.
Chief Perry subsequently informed them that they DID NOT have to take leave (vacation days) to participate. Consequently they were in Tallahassee while on the payroll, instead of on campus providing security for students.
Further, in an email (forwarded to us from a third party) Rickey Maxey, the lobbyist for Florida Polytechnic University, also said that the money for the trip could come from their campus police budgets.
You, the taxpayers, are picking up the financial tab for these Chiefs to lobby against your constitutional rights – rights they are sworn to protect.
The following Chiefs came to the committee meeting in full uniform, with THEIR GUNS on their hips, to lobby against your Second Amendment rights:
Chief J. D. Withrow, University of South Florida, Tampa
Chief Linda Stump-Kurnick, University of Florida Police Chief , Gainesville
Chief Terence Calloway, Florida A & M University, Tallahassee
Chief Charles Lowe, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Chief Frank Mackesy, University of North Florida, Jacksonville
Chief David Hendry, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg
Deputy Chief Darren Baxley, University of Florida, Gainesville
Chief William Hope, Florida Polytechnic University, Lakeland
Deputy Chief Jim Russell, Florida State University, Tallahassee
Chief David Perry, Florida State University, Tallahassee
All of these Chiefs filled out Appearance Cards and said, in writing, that they are AGAINST SB-176. That clearly is lobbying – they were there to influence the votes of legislators.
If they had been here just to provide information on their perception of the impact of the bill on their respective agencies, they would have checked the box indicating that they were there to provide INFORMATION only.
Representative Dave Kerner (D-Palm Springs), subsequently, copied Senator Joyner's letter and used it to ask University Police Chiefs to come to Tallahassee again on Wednesday, March 18, 2015, for the House Higher Education Committee meeting.
Two separate requests for University Police Chiefs to come to Tallahassee on two different days to speak to two different committees – clearly to lobby against your constitutional right of self-defense and your Second Amendment rights -- at taxpayer expense. That is wrong.
If you want to be heard on this issue, you may contact the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and let them know how you feel about state funds -- your tax dollars -- being used to lobby against your constitutional rights.
In the subject line put: STOP USE OF TAXES - STATE FUNDS - FOR LOBBYING
(Block and Copy All email addresses into the "Send To" box)
[email protected],
[email protected],
[email protected]
These are the leaders who can stop this misuse of your tax dollars.
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