Crist’s Years On Wrong Side of Gun Control
BY BUDDY NEVINS
There is one leading state Democrat who is on wrong side of the gun control.
You can’t really blame Charlie Crist. Until two years ago, he was a conservative Republican.
Crist’s pro-gun past will be a hard sell in a Democratic primary for governor.
Curbing Florida’s runaway appetite for increasingly deadly guns could become an issue in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting.
Will it remain an issue two years from now? It will not be the top concern of voters, but it will be one more way an opponent can highlight that Crist used to be a leading Republican.
Crist’s history of pro-gun votes and statements looks bad in a Democratic primary against almost any other candidate.
Politifact Florida in July 2010 examined Crist’s claim in the Republican U. S. Senate primary that he “never wavered in his support of the Second Amendment, the right to bare arms.” Here is what they wrote:
“PolitiFact had a hard time finding any instance where Crist refused to back gun rights.”
Take 1988. Crist was outspoken against Gov. Lawton Chiles’ proposal to require criminal background checks and a waiting period for purchases at gun shows. He called the Chiles plan “moves that would disarm our law-abiding citizens.”
A few years later as Attorney General, Crist nominated NRA champion Marion Hammer to the state’s Women’s Hall of Fame. Her picture now hangs in the state Capitol as “a nationally renowned gun rights advocate and has been an active supporter for the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
In his run for governor in 2006, a prominent Crist ad called Republican rival Tom Gallagher “anti-gun” and noted that Crist was endorsed by the NRA.
Once in the governor’s mansion, Crist signed into law the NRA supported “Bring Your Gun To Work” bill. It allowed employees to bring their guns to their workplace, as long as the gun remained in the car.
His pro-gun work earned Crist an A rating from the NRA. He was a Republican then.
Now Crist is a Democrat. Now he must win the support in a primary of the most committed Democratic voters.
Ten years of fiercely supporting the NRA and its vision of expanded gun rights is hard to hide. It will provide plenty of ammo for his Democratic rivals.
December 18th, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Give me a name, Buddy. Nan Rich can shout this from the roof tops and she probably should that would be the most people who will hear her message because she’s not going to raise any real money. Until one of the big Democrat Mayors or someone with a shot gets in the race it Scott v Crist.
You can’t beat somebody with nobody.
FROM BUDDY:
Charlie’s problem is not the general election. It’s the primary.
Among the Democratic candidates I expect is Alex Sink, who almost beat Rick Scott the last time around. Then there is Nan Rich, Buddy Dyer and Dan Gelber. Maybe even Jack Seiler. Read my Nov. 23 piece “Don’t Count Rick Scott Out Yet”.
December 18th, 2012 at 3:31 pm
Crist is right, More guns mean less crime. The school shooting was in a gun free zone. We need to change the law to allow teachers who want to, with the proper training, carry in our schools.
Florida and Texas have less crime than New York and Chicago for a reason. More guns mean less crime.
FROM BUDDY:
According to the FBI Uniform Crime Rates, New York City has approximately half the violent crime as places like Miami and St. Petersburg. Chicago also trails. Miami and St.Petersburg are two of the cities in the top 25 for crime, while Chicago and New York City don’t make that list.
Gun-happy Florida as a whole has 515.3 violent crimes per 100,000 population. Texas has 408.5, while New York has 398.1.
Florida is crime soaked. Guns have never helped…
December 18th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
@2
What a ridiculous comment…
What’s next? More gawd in schools? Will that help?
BTW, there’s plenty of god in church — how’s that worked out preventing the rape of little boys by priests?
December 18th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
In Australia, in 1996, a man killed 35 people in the course of an afternoon rampage.
Australia soon went from having relaxed gun laws to having tough gun laws, including such common-sense measures as character witnesses for people who want to own a gun, and the purchase of a safebolted to the wall or floor.
There are still plenty of hunters in Australia, but it hasn’t had a mass killing since.
December 18th, 2012 at 6:15 pm
Does anyone really trust the FBI and governmental-generated statistics anymore? Maybe they’re not considering black on black crime. I’m very disappointed in you, Buddy. You used to be better than this.
FROM BUDDY:
They are considering all crime.
Whenever I travel, I am amazed by what is considered “crime news” on TV and in the newspaper. It is soooo minor compared to what we have everyday in South Florida, these communities must have much less serious violent crime then our community. I’m not considering a school shooting, which is a committed by a crazy person. I’m talking about violent crimes committed by hard core criminals. What we consider every day events in South Florida, are unusual events in other communities.
December 18th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
Buddy – You cite several crime stats in response to #2 above. I’m curious whether the crime stats specifically involving guns are more or less than the “violent crimes” statistics you cite. Chicago [where handguns are banned] has multiple handgun-related homicides every weekend. DC also has strict gun laws – how do gun-related crime stats for DC compare?
Florida has now issued more than one million concealed carry permits. What is the percentage of gun crime perpetrated by those lawful permit holders? If it’s miniscule (and we all know it is) doesn’t that support the premise that lawful gun owners are not the problem? It’s the criminals. . . you know, the same ones that will continue to illegally possess guns and break other laws even after the gun bans take effect.
December 18th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
I tend to agree more with #6. Whenever I travel to a country that has banned guns, there is always stabbing murders on the news. I personally would rather be shot to death than stabbed. However, (hypothetically speaking) just because I have a conceal carrying permit doesn’t mean that my gun won’t be used by another in my household or a thief, with or without my permission, to commit a crime. The anti-gun argument is about access. The pro gun about personal safety. Both are right.
December 19th, 2012 at 7:05 am
Principles … convictions … I am not sure what those are … I don’t know…
December 20th, 2012 at 9:13 am
The Truth is that “Chain Gang” Charlie is on the wrong side of everything except himself. The Truth knows that Charlie is a craven without any philosophy other than personal advancement. And that is The Truth.