Senator

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature voted overwhelmingly Thursday to allow people to carry concealed firearms anywhere in the state without a permit—a bill which, if signed into law by Gov. Ron Desantis (R), will make Florida the 26th state with such laws. Key Facts Florida’s Senate voted 27-13 Thursday to pass the bill , which would do away with Florida’s requirement under state law to obtain a concealed weapons permit and undergo background checks and firearms training in order to carry a concealed gun. Florida’s house had passed the bill by a vote of 76-32 last week. If signed into law, gun owners would only need to hold a valid ID to carry a concealed weapon, with a $25 fine for failing to do so. Florida would also become the 26th state to pass a law allowing permitless concealed carry, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, amid a wave of GOP-led initiatives to loosen … [Read more...] about Florida On Track To Let Residents Carry Concealed Guns Without Permits—Joining 25 Other States

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) brushed off a question about whether the GOP would take any formal action in response to the Nashville school shooting on Thursday, echoing others in the party who have said legislation will not solve gun violence—a sentiment that has enraged Democratic lawmakers, as well as a substantial slice of the electorate. Key Facts McCarthy said, “I don’t think one piece of legislation solves this,” in response to a reporter’s question during an unrelated press conference on Thursday, adding, “We’ve got to deal with mental illness.” McCarthy on Wednesday, in his first comments on the shooting at a private Christian school that left three 9-year-olds and four adults dead, said lawmakers need to “see all the facts” before taking action. McCarthy’s statements parrot those made by other GOP members in recent days, including Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who said Monday, … [Read more...] about McCarthy Says Legislation Won’t Solve Gun Violence In Wake Of Nashville Shooting

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Jacob Chansley—whose horned fur hat, American flag face paint and bare chest made him one of the most recognizable January 6 rioters—was released from prison and sent to a halfway house earlier than scheduled this week, which some right-wing figures are celebrating as a victory following a push for his release. Key Facts Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Scott Taylor said Chansley was moved Tuesday from his low-level-security prison in southeastern Arizona to a halfway house in Phoenix, where he will be released May 25. Chansley—who also went by “Jake Angeli” and was known as the “QAnon Shaman”—was set for a July release following his 2021 guilty plea for obstructing an official proceeding, after he joined the mob invading the Capitol and became one of a handful of rioters who stood at the presiding seat of the Senate dais. Chansley was first arrested and jailed days after the January 6 riot, and … [Read more...] about ‘QAnon Shaman’ Jacob Chansley Released Early From Prison After Jan. 6 Conviction