Florida city’s police chief bans guns after declaring a state of emergency, sparking rapid backlash

On By Rgal Nv

A Florida police chief’s hurricane-related Second Amendment ruling sparked backlash from the governor after the “mistakenly enacted” ban angered the community.

(Video credit: CBS12)

In preparation for Hurricane Helene late last week, Town of Okeechobee Police Chief Donald Hagan was quick to declare a local state of emergency to facilitate a response in the event of devastation. However, haste spoiled the Constitution when the order issued detailed a ban prohibiting the sale, display, or possession of a firearm in public, making it illegal for the duration of the storm.

Amid backlash over the statement that was rescinded the same day, OCPD Public Information Officer Det. Jarret Romanell told CBS12, “This is something that was passed in error.”

“Once we learned that the emergency order was not what we intended to declare, we immediately terminated it,” he added.

Likewise, a city statement explained that the reason behind the ordinance’s termination was that the hurricane did not have a “substantial impact” on the city and because “a provision prohibiting the sale of “Firearms and ammunition had been inadvertently included in the emergency order.” . After discovering this, the city and police chief acted quickly to end the emergency order.

It was also stated that “at no time has the City or the Chief of Police considered, or taken any action, to prohibit, confiscate or otherwise regulate firearms or firearms.” ammunition. »

However, according to the Second Amendment nonprofit group Firearms Policy Coalition, the order was only rescinded after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office learned of the overreach.

“We just spoke with someone in the @RonDesantis administration,” the organization wrote in a message shared by DeSantis press secretary Jeremy Redfern. “Not only was this local declaration illegal and unconstitutional, but we were told that as soon as the governor’s office learned of it, he would have ordered the police chief to rescind the order. »

In its own statement to CBS12, FBC asserted in part: “It is at times like these that people most need access to their individual right to keep and bear arms. Governor DeSantis’ office informed us this morning that he has not only addressed this error with the police chief, but will support the legislative repeal of this outdated and unconstitutional law so that this cannot happen again in the future. FPC fully supports Governor DeSantis’ efforts to eliminate this law and prevent errors and abuses by local officials.

Believing that the declaration under Chapter 870 of the Florida Statutes was intended to prohibit firearms in cases of riots or public disorder, Romanello further told CBS12 that Hagan “wasn’t here today because He was subject to personal attacks all day long from all over the country. Most of the noise comes from people who live outside the town of Okeechobee.

This “noise” was a resounding call on social media not only for the unconstitutional law to be repealed, but also for those who violate Americans’ God-given rights “to be prosecuted.”

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Kevin Haggerty
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