As very few of you know, I was on the road a good chunk of this past two weeks; in Hartford the last week of September, and I just got back from Jacksonville late yesterday.<\/p>\n
Naturally, I was keeping a close eye on Hurricane Matthew, which I beat out of Jax by about 12 hours.<\/p>\n
The most vulnerable time for people and communities during these sorts of disasters is when the population is dislocated; evacuated, out of power, or bludgeoned with massive damage. \u00a0If worse comes to worst, coastal Florida and South Carolina might be all three of the above.<\/p>\n
Just a reminder to potential looters; last year, Governor Scott signed a law allowing law-abiding gun owners to carry their firearms\u00a0while complying with evacuation orders<\/em> without need for a permit (emphasis added).<\/p>\n \u201cAs Hurricane Season approaches it\u2019s critical that our rights are protected during natural disasters,\u201d advised Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-Petersburg, in a statement. \u201cWith the signing of SB 290, all lawful gun owners will be permitted to carry a concealed weapon if they are complying with a mandatory evacuation during a state of emergency. I\u2019m proud to have sponsored this bipartisan bill ensuring that we have the right to protect our families during these sometimes chaotic times.\u201d<\/p>\n