Awkward: Tampa Asks Rick Scott to Ban Guns at RNC Convention
The Tampa City Council on Thursday said they would ask Florida Gov. Rick Scott to ban firearms outside the Republican National Convention later this year.
The council has already issued a citywide ban on items like pieces of wood, switchblades, slingshots, containers of bodily fluids and even squirt guns. A so-called “Clean Zone” around the convention area would prohibit string longer than six inches, glass containers, light bulbs, portable shields and gas masks. A smaller protest area would prevent demonstrators from having camping gear, bottles, cans and umbrellas. The Secret Service has said that only law enforcement will be able to carry firearms inside of the convention center.
But Tampa now needs Scott’s help because state law prevents local governments from regulating guns. City officials believe that Scott has the executive power to temporarily suspend that law.
“We believe it is necessary and prudent to take this reasonable step to prevent a potential tragedy,” council member Lisa Montelione wrote in a draft of the letter to the governor.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn has said that the state law makes the city “look silly.”
“The absurdity of banning squirt guns but not being able to do anything about real guns is patently obvious,” Buckhorn explained last week. “Given the nature and the potential dynamic of this event, I think it would make sense that you would not want firearms introduced into that environment by people other than law enforcement.”
But… but… Second Amendment! Freedoms! Liberty! I WANT MY BOOMSTICK BEFORE OBAMA TAKES IT AWAY!
I love Bob Buckhorn’s comment. He’s right. It IS silly that the city can ban squirt guns and not real guns from certain places.
