Title: Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Summary: Urges Congress and the President to protect the constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States has found that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to possess any bearable arms commonly used for lawful purposes, and WHEREAS, the President of the United States has made clear his intent to urge Congress to pass legislation that would restrict the lawful acquisition and possession of firearms and ban many firearms commonly used for self-defense, hunting, competition, and target shooting, and WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States has recognized that the principles of separate sovereignty, as embodied in the Tenth Amendment to the Unites States Constitution, prohibit the Federal Government from requiring the state or its officers to take part in any federal gun control scheme, and WHEREAS, it is the duty of the Legislature to exercise all of its lawful authority and power to protect the right of the people of this state to keep and bear arms, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: HM 2013 hm0545 FL OR I DA HO US EO FR EP RE SE NT A TI VE SR EP RE SE NT A TI VE SThat it is the sense of the Legislature that the proposals of the Pr esident of the United States to restrict the arms available to law-abiding citizens violate the United States Constitution and that the Legislature, on behalf of the government and citizens of the state, hereby notifies the Congress and the President that it intends to lawfully use all of its authority and power to resist or overturn any federal gun control measure that violates the right of the people of this state to keep and bear arms. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be dispatched to the President of the United States, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.