Fried under fire from NRA over push for FDLE to handle concealed carry permits

NRA sides with Republican lawmakers, saying permits should be done by CFO

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Newly elected Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried is drawing fire from the NRA. 

She wants to move the issuance of concealed carry permits under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. 

Fried joins Democratic lawmakers who are planning to introduce legislation making the change for the 2019 session. 

The effort comes after an incident earlier this year in which an employee at the Department of Agriculture failed to conduct full background checks for nearly 300 applicants.

Current Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam called the problem isolated when asked about it in June.

“291 people who should not have gotten a license to carry a concealed weapon did so, but they were revoked as a result of the processes that we put in place,” Putnam said.

Former NRA President Marion Hammer worries that giving law enforcement control over concealed carry permits is a slippery slope.

“Previously, it had been handled by 67 different counties and abuse at the hands of county sheriffs was rampant,”  Hammer said.

The NRA does agree the permitting process should be taken away from the Department of Agriculture, believing it would be in better hands under the control of the Chief Financial Officer.

“The Second Amendment is a guaranteed right under the Constitution,” Hammer said. "It needs to be under an elected official answerable to all of the people.”

CFO Jimmy Patronis said he’s open to the NRA's proposal, but the decision is ultimately in the hands of the Legislature.

Democrats are still drafting legislation to move the permitting process to the FDLE. Republicans are expected to introduce a bill sending the permits to the CFO.

Fried’s communications team was not available for comment Wednesday.