Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Florida Gov. Crist vetos raid of CCW permit funds

From the Miami Herald:
TALLAHASSEE -- Breaking a pledge against raising taxes, Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's $66.5 billion budget into law Wednesday and barely used his veto pen.

Crist rejected a pay cut for state workers earning more than $45,000, and he vetoed a measure to take $6 million from a special spending account that processes concealed weapons permits.
...
Crist described his decision to veto a $6 million raid on the weapons-licensing trust fund as a way to protect Second Amendment rights. Yet Crist had asked legislators in February to take even more money from the trust fund, $8 million.

Asked to explain his change of heart over the trust fund, Crist said he was convinced by Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, whose agency oversees the licensure of concealed weapons, applications for which have skyrocketed. Crist described the veto as a ``safety issue.''

The NRA also strongly lobbied against the trust-fund cut by besieging the governor's office with e-mails from nearly 20,000 gun owners. ...

Article here. Looks like Gov. Crist knows which way the political winds are blowing, as he chooses to side with gun owners. Crist is running for the U.S. Senate next year, and he knows better than to piss off an important constituency like gun owners.

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