What do Rosie O'Donnell & The FL Chamber of Commerce have in common?

DATE: April 12, 2007
TO: USF & NRA Members and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
NRA Past President
Executive Director Unified Sportsmen of Florida

What do Rosie O'Donnell and The FL Chamber of Commerce have in common?

They both work with the Million Mom March and The Brady Campaign to destroy the right to keep and bear arms.

The anti-gun Florida Chamber of Commerce and the anti-gun Florida Retail Federation are now openly working with the Brady Campaign, a national gun control organization formerly called Handgun Control Inc., and the Million Mom March organization, an anti-gun group associated with Rosie O'Donnell.

They have formed a new anti-gun organization called "Floridians Against Workplace Violence" into which they can funnel money from corporate giants to fund the fight to take away your 2nd Amendment rights and your privacy rights.

In fact, the Chamber's new anti-gun arm has, as its spokesperson, Linda Vaughn, whom you will remember as the Southeast Regional Director of the Brady Campaign & Million Mom March.

Tuesday, they bragged at a press conference about TV ads they have produced for their campaign to trample freedom and individual rights.

This should come as no surprise.

Last year Mark Wilson, Vice President of the Florida Chamber of Commerce was caught coordinating and directing the anti-gun attack of the Brady Campaign against your right to keep and bear arms in Florida. Wilson even encouraged the Brady Campaign to threaten legislators.

Pro-gun members of the various Chambers of Commerce and Florida Retail Federation should be outraged that they are paying dues to anti-gun business organizations that are trying to destroy your individual rights.

Based on phone calls we have received, we believe the overwhelming majority of small business owners are pro-gun and support your privacy rights and your right to keep a firearm in your private vehicle for self-defense and other lawful purposes.

However, these business groups are being controlled by corporate giants like Disney, Publix Super Markets and Wal-Mart. We believe small business members are being ignored and misled by the anti-gun leadership of these organizations.

The Brady Campaign recently put out an alert urging the anti-gun business community to flood legislators with anti-gun email against SB-2356 Senator Peaden and HB-1417 by Rep. Baxley.

These bills will stop out-of-control corporate giants from searching private vehicles of customers and employees in business parking lots. The legislation protects your right to transport and have a firearm locked in your personal private vehicle for self-defense, hunting or target shooting or lawful purposes when your vehicle is parked in a parking lot.

Anti-gun corporate giants are working to defeat this legislation so they can continue their abusive behavior and constitutional violations.

Claims by the anti-gun Florida Chamber of Commerce and the anti-gun Florida Retail Federation that "a business has the right to control everything that happens on their property" are more than imaginary -- they are FALSE.

Business entities are licensed by government to hire employees and to solicit private citizens and invite them on their property to spend money so business can make a profit.

Government has the right and the duty to regulate businesses to protect the rights of customers and employees.

Please spread the word to your friends, family members and co-workers. Below are listed some of the anti-gun organizations and big business bullies who want your money at the expense of your freedom:

Disney, Publix Super Markets, Wal-Mart, Chico's, Lockheed Martin, Harris Corporation, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Retail Federation, Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association

It's time to email members of the House Environment and Natural Resources Council and URGE THEM TO SUPPORT HB-1417 BY REP. DENNIS BAXLEY.

Below is a list of the email addresses of those you need to contact

(To send one email to all committee members at the same time, block or highlight the entire list and then copy and paste the block into the address section of the email.)

IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR EMAIL PUT:

PLEASE SUPPORT HB-1417/Protect Firearms/private vehicles

House Environment & Natural Resources Council

Stan.Mayfield@myfloridahouse.gov
Baxter.Troutman@myfloridahouse.gov
Bob.Allen@myfloridahouse.gov
Debbie.Boyd@myfloridahouse.gov
Mary.Brandenburg@myfloridahouse.gov
Faye.Culp@myfloridahouse.gov
Rich.Glorioso@myfloridahouse.gov
Denise.Grimsley@myfloridahouse.gov
Will.Kendrick@myfloridahouse.gov
Paige.Kreegel@myfloridahouse.gov
Rick.Kriseman@myfloridahouse.gov
Richard.Machek@myfloridahouse.gov
Bryan.Nelson@myfloridahouse.gov
Scott.Randolph@myfloridahouse.gov
Trudi.Williams@myfloridahouse.gov
Marty.Bowen@myfloridahouse.gov

YOU MAY ALSO WISH TO CALL THEM:

Rep. Stan Mayfield (R), Chair (850) 488-0952
Rep. Baxter Troutman (R) VC (850) 488-9465
Rep. Bob Allen (R) (850) 488-4669
Rep. Debbie Boyd (D) (850) 488-9835
Rep. Mary Brandenburg (D) (850) 488-0260
Rep. Faye Culp (R) (850) 488-2770
Rep. Richard Glorioso (R) (850) 488-0807
Rep. Denise Grimsley(R) (850) 488-3457
Rep. Will Kendrick (R) (850) 488-7870
Rep. Paige Kreegel (R) (850) 488-9175
Rep. Rick Kriseman (D) (850) 488-9337 Rep. Bryan Nelson (R) (850) 488-2023
Rep. Richard Machek (D) (850) 488-5588
Rep. Scott Randolph (D) (850) 488-0660
Rep. Trudi Williams (R) (850) 488-2047
Rep. Marty Bowen (R) Majority Leader (850) 488-2721