Guns trust fund safety bill shoots through Senate
by Dara Kam | March 3rd, 2010The Florida Senate approved a measure that would keep the concealed weapons permits trust fund off-limits to lawmakers in search of money to plug budget holes.
The bill (SB 1158) is one of the two gun rights-advocates priorities this session. It passed by a 31-9 vote.
Last year, lawmakers took about $6 million from the trust fund, which comes from concealed weapons permits fees and is used to process permit applications. They swept hundreds of millions of dollars from other trust funds, but the gun license trust fund was the only one that Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed.
Only four of the state’s 400-plus trust funds now have that protection.
Democrats argued that the gun license trust fund should be treated the same as others.
“I can’t figure out how it makes any sense how one of our first orders of business is protecting a trust fund for gun registration applications,” objected Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston.
“When you single out one trust fund above the hundreds that we have you’re making a statement about priorities. I guess I disagree with those priorities.”
Where's the money? Use The Post's interactive database of who wants and who's getting federal dollars.
Use these interactive graphics to find and contact Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast legislators.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:32 pm
sen.nan rich,where do i start?the trust fund was first setup to keep hands like yours off this money:but somehow someone like yourself found a loophole to exploit it.we the people pay for this not to be touched!understand!