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Call to arms: In a tense Florida election, passions over guns intensify

 
This photo illustration is a mosaic of  campaign literature from candidates running for political office in Florida.
This photo illustration is a mosaic of campaign literature from candidates running for political office in Florida.
Published Aug. 12, 2016

WAUSAU — State Rep. Brad Drake didn't miss a beat when asked what matters most to his North Florida constituents in this tense election year.

"Second Amendment," Drake said as he worked the crowd at last weekend's annual Possum Festival, a Panhandle political tradition.

"Lots of things happening around the world are giving people security issues," Drake said. "They want to make sure they're equipped and have access to protect themselves."

Drake is determined to keep his House seat in Tallahassee. He must defeat Republican challenger Bev Kilmer in the Aug. 30 primary in a rural district on the state's northernmost tier that's sometimes described as "L.A.," for "Lower Alabama."

Drake is expected to win, in no small part because of his A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association, the equivalent of a Good Housekeeping seal of approval for Republicans challenged within their party.

In a TV ad, Drake is seen at the wheel of a Chevy pickup, saying: "I'll continue to fight to protect our guns."

The message is resonating across the state as both parties use guns to appeal to core constituencies.

The more Democrats talk about the need to close gun loopholes, the more Republicans talk about the need to protect the Second Amendment, and the gulf between the two seems wider than ever.

Many Republican candidates aggressively promote their allegiance to the Second Amendment and the NRA in TV ads, social media and heavy-stock mailers that remain a staple of campaigning. They promise that if elected, they will fight every effort to impose new gun restrictions on Floridians.

House candidate Monique Miller shows an elderly woman pointing a gun with the tag line, "Granny Get Your Gun."

In another mailer, House candidate Sheri Treadwell is seen at a firing range. Candidate Leslie Dougher shows a handgun resting on the Bill of Rights. Rep. Greg Steube, a Senate candidate, touts his efforts to rid Florida of "gun-free zones" on university campuses. The NRA seal is featured prominently in fliers and TV ads.

At the same time, Democratic candidates aim the exact opposite message to voters: The NRA has too much power and Florida's lax gun laws invite terrorist attacks like the one at Pulse nightclub in Orlando in which 49 patrons, many of them young, gay and Hispanic, were slaughtered June 12 by an ISIS sympathizer armed with a high-capacity assault rifle.

In Tallahassee, both sides' stands on guns now seem more deeply entrenched than ever, and with Republicans likely to maintain their strong majority in the Capitol, compromise seems even less likely in the 2017 session and beyond.

Many Democratic candidates refused to complete the NRA's five-page candidate questionnaire, touting it as a badge of honor.

"I brag about getting an 'F' rating from the NRA," said Carlos Guillermo Smith, a Democratic House candidate and leader in Orlando's LGBT community devastated by the Pulse killings. "The NRA is an extremist group. Tallahassee is bought and sold by the NRA."

"Enough is enough," says Mike Clelland, a Democratic candidate for an Orlando Senate seat where Pulse is located.

Clelland, a retired firefighter and gun owner, supports closing background check loopholes and outlawing sales of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

"It's not that I'm going after anyone's guns. But we've got to close these loopholes," Clelland said.

For four decades, the NRA's Marion Hammer has lobbied for gun owners in Tallahassee with a tenacity that inspires loyalty from her allies and contempt from her opponents.

Her mission is to make sure as many A-rated candidates are elected as possible.

"It's pretty standard," Hammer said of both sides' tactics on guns. "Republicans are strong supporters of the Second Amendment, and unfortunately most Democrats are gun-haters."

The political fight over guns will intensify next month as the general election phase of the campaign begins and pits Republicans and Democrats against each other, echoing arguments used by Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

In the meantime, applications for new concealed weapons permits in Florida are skyrocketing, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

They are up 44,000 in the past three months over the same time period last year and up 200,000 from the year before, in addition to the 1.6 million residents with concealed weapons permits.

For the NRA, the 2016 session produced a string of disappointments, including the failure of open carry and campus carry bills and changes to the "stand your ground" law.

That prompted Hammer to identify a list of "betrayers," including sheriffs, prosecutors and Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, who refused to hear open carry and campus carry bills.

Next year will be better for the NRA, Hammer predicted.

"I'm always hopeful and optimistic," she said, "and I never quit."

Contact Steve Bousquet at bousquet@tampabay.com. Follow @stevebousquet.