The Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida Executive Board is recommending to the membership to take action AGAINST HB-503, the Guns At Work bill.

Background:

Governor Crist has a critical decision to make and he needs to hear from you! Today, the Florida Senate joined the House of Representatives in passing the Guns at Work bill (HB 503) and the bill now awaits action by Governor Crist and only the Governor can now prevent this irresponsible legislation from becoming law. The Governor has only seven days to take action or the bill becomes law so it is imperative that you contact him immediately!

Please contact the Governor immediately to express your opposition to the Guns at Work bill and urge him to VETO this misguided legislation. Please call (850) 488-4441 or click here to send an e-mail directly to Governor Crist.

There are 5 key reasons why the Governor should veto this legislation:

1. It is a blatant attempt to undermine the property rights of Florida businesses. It would be absurd to suggest that employers should be forced to allow employees to bring guns into the office and store them at their desks, but there is no practical difference between the employer's building and the employer's parking lot. Florida property owners have always made the final decision about whether to allow firearms on their property, but this legislation would strip that right away from them and put the decision in the hands of the government.

2. It cripples the ability of an employer to enter into a private contract with an employee. Employers clearly have the right to set the terms and rules by which an employee can accept a position with a company. Every day in Florida, employees consent to background checks, credit checks, drug screenings and a host of other measures that could be considered "invasions of privacy," were it not for the fact that employees voluntarily agree to such measures as a condition of employment. This legislation would undermine the very nature of these agreements.

3. The first priority for Florida employers is the safety of their employees, but this legislation does not make workplaces any safer, and studies have shown it may actually lead to more incidents of workplace violence. Furthermore, the legislation provides little immunity for employers for harm caused by weapons that they now must allow on their property. Not only will this legislation lead to more lawsuits, it will drive up the cost of doing business in our state, at the expense of the safety of Florida workers.

4. This legislation creates a new class of protected employees who will be able to sue their employers for damages through both the Attorney General and a private lawsuit. Right now, Florida employment discrimination law protects employees for discrimination based on who they are, such as their race, religion, gender, and other personal characteristics, but this legislation would allow disgruntled employees to sue because of what they own. If employees believe they are subject to discrimination because they own a firearm, they would now be afforded the same legal status as someone confronted with racism or sexual harassment.

5. The legislation is simply unnecessary. There have been no cases in Florida of employees being terminated for possessing a firearm, nor have any lawsuits been filed alleging individuals have been denied their right to bear arms on the property of their employer or another business. This is partly due to the fact that no court in this country has ever found an individual right to bear arms on the property of another person, and partly due to the reality that employers and employees have found a way to coexist through the balancing of the rights of the employer and the best interests of the employees. This system has worked well in this state for almost 200 years, and will continue to do so without the government getting involved.

Please contact the Governor immediately to express your opposition to the Guns at Work bill and urge him to VETO this misguided legislation. Please call (850) 488-4441 or click here to send an e-mail directly to Governor Crist.

Thank you for your continued support of our efforts to defeat this legislation and as always, please contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Doug Wheeler
Vice President
Grassroots Advocacy & PAC Development

Coalition Members,

This morning, the Florida Senate passed the Guns at Work bill by a vote of 26 to 13, and the bill sponsor moved to immediately certify the bill to the Governor, so we must all act quickly if we are going to effectively make our case to the Governor.

Today’s result was expected, which is why we have prepared a full-scale media and grassroots campaign to urge Governor Crist to veto this misguided and unconstitutional legislation. Later today, you'll receive an action alert from our V.P. of Grassroots Advocacy, Doug Wheeler, that I encourage you to pass along to anyone you know who is opposed to this bill.

I have attached sample letters to the editor to this e-mail that I encourage you to modify and submit to your local newspapers TODAY. If you do submit these letters, please notify me so that we can track their placement.

As has been the case during this session and over the previous two years, we expect the gun lobby to activate their nationwide grassroots network to pressure the Governor to sign the bill. What will work in our favor is while support for the bill will come from other states, opposition to it is based right here in Florida, where 80% of Florida voters oppose this legislation, and thousands of companies and associations have already expressed their opposition. But none of this widespread opposition will matter unless the Governor hears from you, your employees, your co-workers, your neighbors, and your friends.

You can call Governor Crist at 850-488-4441, or e-mail him at Charlie.Crist@....

Many of you have also requested a point of contact in the Governor’s Office for you to provide detailed information on the consequences of this bill. I encourage you to contact Mr. Andrew Grayson in the Office of Policy and Budget at andrew.grayson@... or call him at 850-487-4599 with any information that you feel would be important to the Governor as he makes his decision on this bill.

Please keep me posted on any conversations you have with the media or with the Governor’s Office in the coming days.

Thanks for your help.

Adam

Adam E. Babington, Esq.

Director of Coalitions & Initiatives

Florida Chamber of Commerce

136 S. Bronough Street

Tallahassee, FL 32301

Office: 850.521.1224

Cell: 850.212.6348

ababington@...

www.floridachamber.com