During the Leon County Commission meeting addressing state and federal legislative priorities, Commissioner O’Keefe moved to adopt four gun “common sense” reform policies, with Commissioner Proctor seconding the motion.
The first policy requires universal background checks, which would close loopholes that allow people to purchase guns from unlicensed sellers without a background check. The second is secure gun storage laws, which would require the owner to secure the firearm in a place that unauthorized people cannot access. The implementation of extreme risk protection orders, or red flag laws, would allow a judge to temporarily restrict a person’s access to firearms if they present a high risk of harm. The final policy is to require gun owners to report lost and stolen guns to law enforcement.
Commissioner Brian Welch did not support the policies, as he claims, “We don’t have any ability to affect any meaningful change in this arena…we take actions like this and then the state just preempts us…
“…I can say that right here in the microphone. I support common-sense gun safety reform”, said Welch.
Commissioner Nick Maddox followed by explaining, “Sometimes, we do things and it’s just…an attempt to show we support, but we know it ain’t going to quite get done.”
Approving the policies, Commissioner Proctor responded by stating, “Silence is not our best and strongest response.” Emphasizing that change will not happen unless one “goes against the grain.”
The commonsense gun policies were passed 5-2, with Commissioner Welch and Caban in opposition.