Safety of Religious Institutions

4/27/21 Enrolled 
4/27 Senate passed 24:16 Party Lines
4/27/21 on special calendar CS/CS/HB 259 Write your Senator to vote yes! 
4/22/21 Placed on Special Order Calendar, 04/26/21    Write your Senator to vote yes!  CS/CS/HB 259
4/20/21 Senate Rules Committee 8:30 am Favorable by- Rules; YEAS 10 NAYS 6 (Party line vote)
April 19,2021 Mailchimp Alert
4/15/21 ACTION ALERT sent Senate Rules committee 04/20/21, 8:30 am, click here for emails, phone numbers and details;
Senate adopted HB 259 to expedite process. 
April 14th in Senate Rules committee... please email and ask Senators to support this bill (easy to cut and paste all emails)  Last Senate committee- House has passed bill on March 26th.  (Senate has decided to use the House bill to discuss and vote to expedite the voting process.)
March 26- passed in House 76:37 
March 19  Bill has passed all House committees and waiting to be heard in 3rd Senate Rules committee. 
March 17 Judiciary Committee  Third Committee in House   Passed Favorably 
Please support Joe Gruters  gruters.joe.web@flsenate.gov  The bill sponsor.   MY LETTER

Feel free to reverse the talking points in support of this bill (see MY LETTER ABOVE):  FL Conference of Catholic Bishop does not represent me.   FLCCB Letter to sponsor Joe Gruters  

March 9th to Rules 
March 9th, Senate Criminal Justice Committee (Yeas- Baxley, Boyd, Gainer, Perry, Brandes;  Nays Pizzo, Powell, Taddeo

March 8th, ACTION ALERT     Gun Fact Sheet
Subject:  Vote yes on SB 498.
Letter:  Please vote yes on SB 498. All religious institutions should be allowed to have concealed weapons regardless if a school is present or not.  Protect our Amendment 2 freedom!

Feb 10th, House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee passed- votes  waiting to be scheduled on Education & Employment Committee and Judiciary Committee 

February 1st Passed Senate Criminal Justice

IDENTICAL BILLS: SB 498 addresses the application of the concealed weapons laws in situations in which the property of a religious institution, including a church or synagogue, also includes a school. Under existing law, a person who has a concealed weapons license is generally allowed to possess a concealed firearm on the property of a religious institution. However, the person is generally prohibited from having a concealed firearm on the property if the property also includes a school.

Background from 2019   Article 2 from 2019

Dear Chairman Gruters:

Please know the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops does not represent most Catholics.  Most of us strongly support SB 498.

Catholic Schools do not have the security guards that are provided in public schools making them a target for shooters.  Whether or not guns are on campus, the mere threat of having a gun could protect against shooters.

Schools and other institutions that prohibit guns actually ‘invite violence’ because shooters realize they are defenseless. This bill protects these institutions from being targets.  

Armed volunteers, who have carry licenses and training, both at churches and schools, are another layer of protection which could actually decrease the threat of a shooter targeting the facility.