{"id":2345270,"date":"2024-09-24T11:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T15:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-ag-declines-to-represent-defendants-in-gun-case-that-could-change-open-carry-laws-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-24T11:58:23","modified_gmt":"2024-09-24T15:58:23","slug":"florida-ag-declines-to-represent-defendants-in-gun-case-that-could-change-open-carry-laws-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-ag-declines-to-represent-defendants-in-gun-case-that-could-change-open-carry-laws-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida AG declines to represent defendants in gun case that could change open carry laws &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-ag-declines-to-represent-defendants-in-gun-case-that-could-change-open-carry-laws-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2345270&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has \u2062declined to represent a\u2062 state prosecutor and county sheriff who are facing a \u200cfederal lawsuit filed by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/expert-warns-biden-has-launched-four-prong-attack-against-second-amendment-advises-how-to-respond\/\" title=\"Expert Warns Biden Has Launched \u2018Four-Prong Attack Against\u2019 Second Amendment, Advises How To Respond\">gun rights group<\/a>, challenging the state&#8217;s ban on open carrying of firearms. The lawsuit, initiated\u200d by\u200c Gun Owners of America and a Palm Beach County\u200d gun\u2063 owner,\u200d argues that the ban infringes on Second and 14th Amendment rights. Although it is Moody\u2019s responsibility to defend\u200d the constitutionality of Florida&#8217;s laws, she has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/max-rose-says-he-wants-tougher-bail-laws-cops-havent-forgotten-his-pro-criminal-past\/\" title=\"Max Rose Says He Wants Tougher Bail Laws. Cops Haven\u2019t Forgotten His Pro-Criminal Past\">previously supported measures<\/a> that impose gun restrictions, including \u200craising the minimum age for rifle purchases. Despite her \u200ccriticism of other political figures for not enforcing laws, Moody has opted not to participate \u2064in this legal challenge, possibly indicating a strategic decision amidst speculation about her potential gubernatorial candidacy in 2026.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Florida AG declines to represent defendants in gun case that could change <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-votes-on-major-security-upgrade-will-fine-members-5k-for-bypassing-metal-detectors\/\" title=\"House Votes On Major Security Upgrade, Will Fine Members K For Bypassing Metal Detectors\">open carry<\/a> laws<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1761981\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Florida<\/a> Attorney General Ashley Moody declined to represent a state prosecutor and county sheriff being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sued <\/a>by a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/firearms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"gun rights group\">gun rights group<\/a> over the state&rsquo;s ban on open-carrying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/guns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>firearms.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Gun Owners of America and a Palm Beach County gun owner filed the federal lawsuit in August against St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson and State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl on the basis that the state&rsquo;s ban on open carry infringed upon Florida&rsquo;s Second and 14th Amendment rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is under Moody&rsquo;s purview to defend the constitutionality of Florida&rsquo;s laws, and she has previously defended laws putting restrictions on guns, such as raising the legal age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21. Her defense of this law came in spite of her campaign promise to oppose raising the age restrictions for gun purchases.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Moody has been a fierce critic of politicians such as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for failing to enforce and defend the laws on the books.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Laws are nothing if they are not enforced,&rdquo; Moody said at a press conference in August.<\/p>\n<p>But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-ag-barr-authorizes-federal-prosecutors-to-pursue-substantial-allegations-of-voting-irregularities-before-2020-election-is-certified\/\" title=\"BREAKING: AG Barr Authorizes Federal Prosecutors to Pursue &quot;Substantial Allegations&quot; of Voting Irregularities Before 2020 Election is Certified\">attorney general<\/a>, who is rumored to make a bid for governor in 2026, has decided to sit this court battle out. Her spokesperson told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/09\/23\/florida-open-carry-ashley-moody-00180553\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><em>Politico<\/em><\/a>  that she &ldquo;may become involved at a later stage.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Although Florida may have a GOP supermajority in the legislature, Democratic State Attorney Dave Aronberg, from Palm Beach County, told the outlet that open carry doesn&rsquo;t have a lot of support in Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) previously said he would be open to the idea of permitting open carry in Florida. GOP leaders in the legislature, however, were opposed to the move.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The state&rsquo;s Supreme Court has previously upheld the law banning open carry, but since DeSantis has been in his office, he has appointed justices who may be more friendly to the gun rights group&rsquo;s cause.<\/p>\n<p>Buddy Jacobs, a lobbyist representing the state attorney, filed a motion asking the judge to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that it should be handled in state court. He also said that the state&rsquo;s restriction on open carry is constitutional and adheres to the state&rsquo;s firearm regulation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1761981\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1761981\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has chosen not to represent a state prosecutor and a county sheriff who are facing a lawsuit from a gun rights organization regarding the state&#8217;s prohibition on open carry of firearms. The federal lawsuit, initiated in August by Gun Owners of America and a gun owner from Palm Beach County, targets St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson and State Attorney Thomas Bakkedahl, claiming that the ban violates Florida&#8217;s Second and 14th Amendment rights. As attorney general, it is Moody&#8217;s responsibility to uphold the constitutionality of Florida&#8217;s laws; she has previously defended measures that impose restrictions on firearms, such as increasing the minimum age for purchasing rifles from 18 to 21\u2014despite having campaigned against such age restrictions. Moody has been vocal in her criticism of politicians like California Governor Gavin Newsom for not enforcing existing laws effectively. However, despite speculation about her potential gubernatorial run in 2026, she has opted out of this legal dispute for now; her spokesperson indicated that she might engage later on. While Florida\u2019s legislature is predominantly Republican, Democratic State Attorney Dave Aronberg noted that there isn&#8217;t significant support for open carry within the state. Although Governor Ron DeSantis expressed openness to allowing open carry in Florida at one point, GOP legislative leaders have opposed it. The state&#8217;s Supreme Court had previously upheld the ban on open carry; however, since taking office, DeSantis has appointed justices who may be more sympathetic to gun rights advocates&#8217; arguments. Buddy Jacobs, representing the state attorney&#8217;s office as a lobbyist, filed a motion requesting dismissal of the lawsuit on grounds that it should be addressed in state court and asserted that Florida\u2019s restriction on open carry is constitutional and aligns with its firearm regulations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2345271,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23257091418794-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[20195,5113,32529,41602],"class_list":["post-2345270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-ag","tag-florida","tag-gun-case","tag-open-carry-laws"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23257091418794-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2345270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2345270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2345271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2345270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2345270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2345270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}