Florida's governor has said no to a request from Tampa's mayor to allow the city to ban concealed carry weapons in downtown Tampa during the Republican National Convention in late August.
In a letter sent to Governor Rick Scott yesterday, Mayor Bob Buckhorn requested that Governor Rick Scott issue an executive order prohibiting the transportation of firearms in downtown Tampa during the August 27-30 RNC.
A 2011 Florida law bars cities and counties from passing local laws regulating firearms or ammunition,
The governor was quick to respond with a no. In a statement also dated yesterday, Scott said the city is overreaching on this one. The governor said,
"It is unclear how disarming law-abiding citizens would better protect them from the dangers and threats posed by those who would flout the law. It is at just such times that the constitutional right to self-defense is most precious and must be protected from government overreach."
The Governor pointed out that the Secret Service is already banning weapons inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum and a security area around the convention.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Mayor Buckhorn is not surprised by the response to his gun ban request.
The Times quotes the mayor as saying of the governor,
"He's made no bones about where he stands on Second Amendment issues. "We were not necessarily hopeful."
