I find it amusing that Mr. Hiaasen supports a federal judge overturning a piece of legislation approved by the State’s legislative body and signed into law by the Governor when so many talking heads for the Dems including the President argued that the unelected Supreme Court shouldn’t overturn the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) because it was a law approved by the elected federal legislative body. President Obama’s Department of Justice has no problem going after laws passed by States but is up in arms when States challenge a law passed by Congress. You gotta love this country:-)

Hiaasen’s bias aside; the contrast is interesting – having pediatric doctors write 2nd amendment legislation.

Firearm safety should continue to be a rigorous test of any 2nd amendment legislation. The problem is that too many intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals have never trained with small arms and therefore have only media-induced sensationalist perspectives about the issue. This is not conducive to adult debate; witness Hiaasen’s instant, knee-jerk dismissal of anything from the NRA.

Let’s be honest, for once; the NRA has a significant membership drawn from middle America. While much of their funds are directed legislatively, a significant portion are spent at the grassroots on basic firearms training with an emphasis on safety. This is a good thing in my opinion, firearms are not complicated, but they do require vigilance and safety skills.

Even critics of the 2nd amendment should have some basic knowledge of firearms, because when they realize that firearms are just tools that need to be treated differently from a bulldozer, then perhaps they won’t themselves be tools for totalitarian types, which after all is what the 2nd Amendment was written about.

This is an important question in a right to carry state where gun ownership is higher, and the population not as smart as other areas. It is part of the health of the family kind of question trying to protect the child from the negligence of the parent. The tea party seems to care more about gun ownership than child safety. They proved that when a House committee refused to ban the direct advertising of sugery products directly to children. The tea party and their evengelical base say they care about family values, but constantly advocate anti child policies.
We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic with childhood diabetes rates are at 14%. this is an adult disease, so banning advdertising of sugery foods directly to them is called childhood protection, but the tea party sided with the sugar industry. In the gun ownership/doctor battle the tea party sided with the gun makers over child protections again( anyone see a pattern?) and in the on going assault on enviornmental protection the tea party for example sides with the coal industry attempt to not put scrubbers on their stacks to take out chemical byproducts like mercury from the air. So they would rather have children exposed to these dangerous chemicals than have the industry protect the population even though childhood asthma rates are growing every year.
I have no idea anymore what the evengelicals believe in, but they are practicing their interpertation of religion in an anti child, and anti human way.

The NRA is a collection of seriously challenged nut cases. Every effort by sane individuals to protect the lives of citizens is treated as if the 2nd amendment is being repealed. Nor will the NRA be a party to creating a framework that will protect citizens and the 2nd amendment. Instead they come snarling out from under their rocks and attack physicians that are trying to protect the lives of patients and families. Like priest and preachers and psychiatrist, doctors are enjoined from going to the cops. They can be held legally liable if they divulge patient information even if the patient is a danger to society. The NRA isn’t responsible for their own actions.

4get Kansas!!! What the holy HECK is wrong w/Florida?! Scott, West, Zimmerman!!! This mass mental disturbance has got to be curable!!! How can people misunderstand their role in a Democratic, civil, CIVILIZED society?!!?

Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, little Justin !! Come on now. You should not call ANYBODY a moron with that surname of yours ….
You, my friend, are PATHETIC !!

As a resisdent of Florida, I am most angry about the legal defense of the indefenseable. Court challanges cost money and the looser pays for both sides (usually). How did any of this advance those issues that are important to the state: Jobs, Home Prices, Jobs, Tourist industry, Jobs?

It will not be enough to re elect the President – we must give him a Congress that will focus on issues important to us and work together for solutions.