FSU President John Thrasher and Police Chief David Perry violate state law to trample Second Amendment rights by threatening to arrest law abiding gun owners.
Tallahassee, FL -(AmmoLand.com)- In 2014 then Senator Thrasher admonished Florida Carry during a legislative committee hearing for supporting a pro-Second Amendment bill that corrected an unconstitutional infringement on the right to bear arms rather than going to the courts and bringing a lawsuit.
Today Florida Carry is taking his advice.
Florida Carry, Inc. joins FSU Graduate Student Bekah Hargrove of Florida Students for Concealed Carry in filing Florida Carry v. Thrasher today seeking an emergency injunction against John Thrasher, now President of Florida State University, the university, and FSU Police Chief David Perry.
In 2013 the Florida First District Court of Appeals made it crystal clear, in the case of Florida Carry v. UNF, that Universities have no authority to regulate the lawful possession of firearms that are properly stored in private vehicles on campus. Despite the fact that FSU, Chief Perry, and President Thrasher are well aware of the law and the binding decision of the court, they have chosen to continue illegally prohibiting the possession of firearms in people’s private vehicles. They even go so far as to use their own police force to publicly threaten criminal enforcement of their unlawful regulations.
A recent release published by the FSU Police Department instructs that:
“Weapons and/or firearms are not permitted to be stored in a vehicle on the FSU campus at any time, including game days.” Emphasis in original)
The “FSU Game Day Plan 2015 – New Info” publication goes on to flout the laws of Florida by stating that:
“Weapons are prohibited on the Florida State University Campus at all times including football games. Fans may not store firearms or other weapons in their vehicles parked on campus while attending the game. Possession of a firearm or weapon on the FSU campus constitutes a felony and violators are subject to arrest pursuant to Florida Statute 790.115.”
- https://police.fsu.edu/sites/default/files/media/doc/FSUGameDayPlan2015NewInfo.pdf.
The FSU Student Code of Conduct also attempts to enforce these illegal policies by prohibiting all, “On-campus possession or use of firearms…” without an exception for firearm possession in a private vehicle and even “Off-campus… or unauthorized possession or use of firearms…”
- https://dos.fsu.edu/srr/_localDocuments/student-conduct-code.pdf.
“It has a chilling effect on the right to bear arms when law abiding gun owners are lied to by public officials, especially ones who control their own Police Forces, and are told that they will be breaking a law by the legal possession of their firearms,” said Sean Caranna, Executive Director of Florida Carry, Inc. “These publications are a blatant attempt by FSU President Thrasher, and his anti-Second Amendment employees, to enforce illegal gun control with the threat of throwing good people in jail for the lawful exercise of their right to bear arms. We demand that public officials follow the law and will stand for nothing less.”
About Florida Carry, Inc.:
Florida Carry, Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the fundamental rights of all Floridians to keep and bear arms for self-defense as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 2 and 8 of the Florida Constitution. Florida Carry stands to represent our supporters, members, and millions of defensive arms owners of Florida. We are not beholden to any national organization’s agenda that may compromise that mission. Florida Carry works tirelessly toward striking down ill-conceived gun and weapons control laws that have been proven to provide safe havens to criminals and be deadly to law-abiding citizens.
For more information, please visit www.FloridaCarry.org.
E. Violations The following behaviors, or the aiding, abetting, conspiring, soliciting, or inciting of, or attempt to commit these behaviors, constitute violations of the Student Conduct Code. 6. Weapons a. On-campus possession or use of firearms, antique firearms, ammunition, destructive devices, or other weapons or dangerous articles or substances, including but not limited to non-lethal weapons such as pellet guns, bb guns, paintball markers, slingshots, crossbows, stun guns, Tasers, metallic knuckles, archery equipment, or any dangerous chemical or biological agent. Note: This section shall not apply to: i. any law enforcement officer who is a student or to any student… Read more »