TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Democrats and gun-control advocates took aim Friday at Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam after the Tampa Bay Times reported that a former employee of Putnam’s agency failed for more than a year to conduct national background checks on applications for concealed weapons licenses.
An Office of Inspector General report from June 2017 -- obtained by the Times in a public records request -- said that between February 2016 and March 2017, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services didn’t access an FBI crime database called the National Instant Criminal Background Check System because an employee was unable to log into the system.
Putnam’s office told the Times that the employee was “immediately terminated” after another employee discovered the situation and that every application potentially impacted was “thoroughly reviewed.”
In a statement Friday night, Putnam, who is a leading Republican running for governor in Florida, said “a criminal background investigation was completed on every single application.”
“Upon discovery of this former employee's negligence in not conducting the further review required on 365 applications, we immediately completed full background checks on those 365 applications, which resulted in 291 revocations,” Putnam said in the statement. “The former employee was both deceitful and negligent, and we immediately launched an investigation and implemented safeguards to ensure this never happens again.”
READ: Adam Putnam's office responds to report
The Times article said Putnam made it a priority to streamline the system for requesting concealed weapons permits since his election nearly eight years ago.
As of May 31, there were more than 1.9 million concealed-weapons licenses issued by the state.
The Times noted 245,000 applications were made in 2016 and 275,000 were made in 2017.
The newspaper report touched off a political outcry Friday from Democrats. The governor’s race has included heavy debate about gun issues, particularly after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County.
The Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, a national LGBTQ political organization focused on gun violence, expressed concern that while the background checks weren’t made, the state may have issued concealed-weapons licenses “to drug addicts, people with mental illness, and others who should be barred from owning a gun.”
“It’s inconceivable Putnam’s office could be so negligent, especially because the Pulse massacre in Orlando occurred during the same time frame,” Jason Lindsay, executive director of the Pride Fund, said in a statement.
A gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates rushed Friday to condemn Putnam, with Chris King and Jeff Greene, for example, calling for the agriculture commissioner to resign.
Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham urged Putnam to “drop out now” from the contest.
Meanwhile, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, another Democrat in the governor’s race, labeled the report a sign of “dangerous incompetence” by Putnam. And Philip Levine, a former Miami Beach mayor, called for an investigation and said Putnam has forfeited “any moral right to lead.”
Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo released a statement, saying, in part, “This is a damning and disturbing report that should disqualify Adam Putnam from being governor."
But Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s longtime lobbyist in Florida, pointed to political motivations in the outcry from Democrats.
“Democrats are having political seizures for the media again,” Hammer said in an email to The News Service of Florida.
Patricia Brigham, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, however, called the lack of background checks an “example of gross neglect” and cited part of the Times story that said the now-fired employee had been promoted from the mailroom to be in charge of database checks.
“Why only one mailroom employee would be left to handle a job that is critical to the safety of all citizens is jaw-dropping,” said Brigham, whose group backs gun-control measures.
Putnam plans to be in Jacksonville next week as he continues to campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.
Growth in Florida concealed carry permits vs. Florida population growth
News Service senior writer Dara Kam contributed to this report.