Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
March 1, 2018 8:24 a.m.
Fernandina Beach Mayor John Miller called a Special Meeting of the City Commission (FBCC) for February 27, 2018 to consider passing a lengthy, detailed Resolution supporting specific gun control measures in the wake of the Parkland shooting. What they eventually passed on a 4-0 vote was a watered down, general statement of sympathy for the victims of gun violence that contained no specific endorsement of gun control measures laid out in the original resolution.
City Hall Chambers were comfortably full of people who, for the most part, were supportive of the more strongly worded Resolution. Three former mayors were in attendance, only one of whom – Sarah Pelican — opposed any resolution that might infringe upon Second Amendment rights. Ten speakers addressed commissioners, two of whom expressed complete opposition: Pelican and Andy Curtin. Christine Corso expressed opposition to only one part of the lengthy resolution, which would move gun regulation from the state to local government.
Mayor John Miller explained that the mayor of Sunrise, FL, had provided the original draft resolution with the intent of enlisting support from mayors around the state, who would then march on Tallahassee to demand action from the Legislature. After the meeting, Miller explained that the first resolution was lengthy because the drafter wanted to give cities the option of excluding portions at their discretion.
The FBCC listened patiently to the mostly pro comments from the audience on the draft resolution. However, following public input and commission discussion, it quickly became apparent that the resolution as written would probably fail on a 2-2 vote. Vice Mayor Kreger did not attend the meeting.
Instead commissioners voted to unanimously support a substitute resolution which did not address the key points of the original resolution: requiring a background check for every firearm sale; raising the age for legal purchase of firearms, magazines and ammunition to 21; and supporting the passage of legislation that would keep military-style weapons and high capacity magazines away from schools.
Commissioner Phil Chapman, a retired science teacher, expressed support for the original resolution. “I’ve asked and asked why anyone would need an assault rifle,” Chapman said. “It’s not like there are large groups of people trying to break into your house. The answer from them who own such weapons is ‘they’re fun to shoot.’ ” Chapman suggested that fun could be achieved in many other ways. Chapman spoke to the ease of obtaining weapons for high school students. “I think that trying to restrict the weapon of retaliation is not a bad thing,” Chapman said. He said he was most upset when the President advocated arming teachers.
“Teachers aren’t paid for that kind of work,” he said. “If you train a teacher, what will the weapon be? Will it be a concealed weapon? I wonder how many of us would be willing to take a concealed pistol against someone with an assault weapon. … Will we now say that teachers must wear bullet proof vests? Head to toe body armor?”
Chapman also said he found it interesting that the President said he would go into the building to confront the shooter. “This is the man who for the rest of his life will be surrounded by Secret Service protection. I don’t think he really has to worry about confronting an armed person in a school.”
“I support this resolution wholeheartedly,” Chapman asserted. “I think we all need to remember a phrase: the COMMON good. Part of that is the ability to make it from kindergarten to graduation and not get killed. I hope that those of you who have concerns about your guns being taken away work with everybody. It’s not like we are going to round up all these weapons. People talk about how it’s a mental health issue. I would like to know how many dollars the NRA [National Rifle Association] contributed for passing mental health legislation compared to how much money they’ve spent keeping people who support guns in office.”
The audience applauded his comments.
In weighing public comments against the original resolution, Commissioner Chip Ross concluded that despite his first hand knowledge as an emergency room physician who has had to deal with the aftermath of shootings, he could not support the resolution. Ross explained that he strongly supports a ban on military style assault weapons and high capacity magazines, because of his experience over 40 years in treating gunshot wounds, dealing with the fallout to families, and having to commit people under the Baker Act and similar state laws in Maryland because he deemed them a threat to themselves or others. “My personal opinions,” he said, “are radically different from some in our community who have spoken tonight.”
To the dismay of vocal audience proponents of the measure, Ross explained that he could not support the Resolution because it had not been adequately vetted or analyzed. He felt that in the 30 minutes allowed for the special meeting, there was not sufficient time to address all the points raised in the resolution.
Commissioner Roy Smith repeated comments he made at the end of the last FBCC meeting: the way to change gun laws is at the ballot box. “You can either support it through the ballot box, or you can vote against it,” Smith said. “Really, that’s the only way we have. We need to get concerned groups out at elections.” Smith agreed with Ross that the 11-page resolution under consideration went into too much detail. “I think if we’re going to do something, we need a much simpler resolution,” Smith said. “Personally, if I’m a politician at [a higher level of government] and I get in a thousand resolutions that look like this one that say exactly the same thing, it’s like mass production. I believe we should do it with a much simpler resolution like the alternative one before us tonight.”
At the request of the Mayor, City Clerk Caroline Best read a statement from Vice Mayor Kreger, who was not able to attend the meeting. He wrote:
I support strong gun control laws along with all the necessary laws and procedures to eliminate violence. I recommend the city manager immediately establish appropriate coordination with Nassau County Sheriff, the Nassau County School District to provide assistance in ensuring our public and private schools along with other public venues are as secure as possible. I also recommend that the City Manager provide an update of ongoing measures and an outline/plan of actions initiated at the 6 March 2018 FBCC Meeting.
Smith asked that the alternative resolution be read to the public. City Attorney Tammi Bach read the alternative resolution prepared by City Manager Dale Martin following input from commissioners:
RESOLUTION 2018–26
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA, OFFERING SYMPATHY TO THE VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE AND IMPLORING STATE AND FEDERAL ACTION TO PREVENT FUTHER INCIDENTS THEREOF.
WHEREAS, the Nation was again sadly rocked by an act of gun violence in a horrific shooting in a Parkland, Florida high school, resulting in the deaths of seventeen students and staff; and
WHEREAS, the action of state and federal officials to address the factors that likely contribute to gun violence, such as mental health, background checks, and access to guns, has been woefully inadequate; and
WHEREAS, due to state statutes, federal regulations, and the United States Constitution, the ability of the City of Fernandina Beach to address the aforementioned factors is constrained.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH, FLORIDA, THAT:
SECTION 1. The City Commission hereby offers its deepest and heartfelt condolences to the families of victims of the Parkland, Florida, tragedy, as well as to the victims and their families of previous incidents of gun violence in schools, churches, government facilities, and elsewhere.
SECTION 2. The City Commission implores state and federal officials to take the necessary and appropriate action and provide related funding to curtail, and hopefully eliminate, incidents of gun violence, believing that action is long overdue.
SECTION 3. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon passage and be provided immediately hereafter to the state and federal officials who represent the City of Fernandina Beach in Tallahassee, Florida, and Washington, D.C., respectively.
ADOPTED this 27th day of February, 2018.
CITY OF FERNANDINA BEACH
Ross moved to approve the alternative resolution and received a second from Chapman.
Before calling the vote, Mayor Miller apologized for the length of the original resolution. He called the alternate resolution a good start. “Everyone can agree that something needs to be done,” he said. “I along with others saw the teenagers of our state travel to Tallahassee and raise their voices. … I think it’s crazy that a 19 year-old can walk into a gun store and buy an assault weapon with a high capacity magazine without any background check, when you have to be 21 to buy a handgun. We say all the time that public safety is our number one issue, and that is what we should be concerned about. … We are responsible for our law enforcement officers. When they have to walk into a building knowing that someone has a weapon ten times more powerful than theirs that can kill them, I think we can protect them better as well.”
“I want this to be a unanimous vote,” Miller said. “It sounds like the only way it can move forward is to go with the alternative resolution.” The vote on the alternative resolution was 4-0 in favor, none opposed.
Public Reaction
Most members of the audience had supported the initial resolution that called for specific anti-gun violence measures. Only Sarah Pelican and Andy Curtin opposed the matter on the principle of the Second Amendment, citing both fears of gun confiscation and suggesting that city commissioners restrict their calls for action to local matters over which the city has some control.
Other speakers, such as Tony Crawford and former Mayor Ron Sapp, stressed that there was nothing in the resolution suggesting that people’s guns would be taken away from them. Crawford, in urging support for the resolution, said that the saddest day for the country was not 9-11, but the day of the Sandy Hook shooting. He said that there was a reason that media did not show pictures of the murdered children. “When a bullet goes through a kid, there is nothing left to see,” Crawford said. “There is something wrong when kids stand up [against gun violence], not the parents.”
Sapp reminded commissioners that he teaches government and history. He said that things have changed since the adoption of the Second Amendment in 1791 with respect to weaponry. As opposed to using guns for personal defense or to defend the country, he said that the new military style assault weapons are designed “to kill as many as possible in as little time as possible.” He said that such weapons do not belong in our community. “I teach at the local high school, and I teach the Second Amendment,” Sapp said. “I am a father, a grandfather. But at the very base of everything, I am a human being. And I just can’t imagine a time in which we are sitting here talking about whether or not we should allow these assault weapons in our culture.”
Other speakers echoed similar sentiments: Lynn Williams, Medardo Monzon, Phil Scanlan and Lori Hemke.
Christine Platel, who was visibly upset as she spoke, issued a call for action. She said that on March 14 the Women’s March on Washington Youth Power has organized a 17-minute walkout in protest over gun violence (#Enough: School Walkout). On March 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the City Marina there will be a sister march in support of the national movement to end gun violence. She advised that there is local Facebook forum – March for Our Lives Support Group, Amelia Island – for discussions about ending gun violence in America.
She said, “Our children are now leading the way.”
Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.
The underlying question not asked is why Assault Rifles like the AR-15 are so popular and why ownership of these weapons is so highly prized by so many. Assault Rifles have been heavily marketed for the last 18 years to video gaming enthusiasts who are attracted to the highly militarized, Special Operations culture that has become increasingly prevalent in action movies and shooter-style video games like the “Call of Duty” series of video games first launched in 2004. (An interesting “time stamp” in relationship to the acceleration of mass shootings in our country by young men.) Video gaming reported revenue (purchase, rentals, online streaming) during 2016 was $34.5 Billion. (This revenue stream dwarfs the NRA gun rights advocacy expenditure of $240 million during the same period.) Globally, the most successful titles are the “Battlefield” and “Call of Duty” franchises which have numerous “versions”. These “games” are considered “first person shooter games”, an interesting “entertainment “genre”. First-person shooter games typically give players a choice of weapons, which have a large impact on how the player will approach the game. Shocking to me is that most of these game designs have realistic models of actual existing or historical weapons, incorporating their rate of fire, magazine size, ammunition amount, recoil and accuracy. If we truly desire to change the violence now rampant throughout our culture, we need to seriously start in our own homes and give thought to what kind of “entertainment” our family members and their friends are indulging in.
Christine, you are spot on – a priority needs to be in the home teaching children the value of human life instead of engaging in the type of “entertainment” that dehumanizes life among other core values. I support increasing the age to acquire firearms to 21 as well as maximizing the size of magazine clips except for military or law enforcement personnel. Yes, the criminals and gang thugs are still going to have these things, but it is a start.
As to the student walkout, I’m not sure what that accomplishes other than them getting out of class. Where is the student walkouts in support of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty (total of 22, 14 by gunfire) so far this year? (https://www.odmp.org/search/year/2018). According to the FBI, from 1980–2014, an average of 64 law enforcement officers have been feloniously killed per year.
I also ask myself why now on the staging of “marches”. Sadly, these marches are not impartial when it comes to gun violence. No one marches (or walks out of their classrooms) to protest the ongoing violence in Chicago, Baltimore, neighboring Jacksonville (where a march might be more effective as it would demonstrate local support to nearby community) or, as you have identified, the increasing murders of police officers.
Sorry guys, I read this and laugh to myself. Yes we should be better parents. Yes we should not allow certain video games, blah blah blah!
There is only one thing that is standing between doing anything but talk about all of this and actually doing something about the problem. That is the NRA. When are we going to understand that the NRA has bought Congress. We the people elect our lawmakers and the NRA tells them what to do. It is really as simple as that. In the end we are the ones who must take the blame for voting in those who will sell the lives of our children for a campaign donation and an ( A ) rating from the NRA. We talk about home teaching and value of human life, what value to you and I put on human life when we keep electing those who are more worried about what the NRA will think about them, than actually doing something about the problem. Personally it makes me sick to hear all the excuses and most refuse to understand who is actually telling our lawmakes what they can and can’t do.
Tony — the NRA is at the heart of the matter — you are spot on. ANY legislation that cuts into the profits of the gun industry will be ferociously fought by the NRA — even when it would save lives & protect our children. Any legislation that would increase profits ( such as the asinine idea to arm teachers) will be supported. It’s disgusting, but follow the money.
Tony, not excuses. If a person doesn’t have the motivation to do evil, no matter what instruments of destruction are at their disposal. To the best of my knowledge the NRA (of which I am not a member) does not cast a single vote in any election. It has a large membership base that does vote. Anyone with a different position has the ability to organize the masses and work to elect individuals that will work to implement their positions. But the FO is for local issues and this isn’t one.
Dave, Killing kids is a local as well as National issue. I feel that anything that happens in Florida can be considered a local issue when it comes to killing our children. Should we wait for it to happen close to home before we pay attention? You are absolutely right that the NRA doesn’t cast a single vote in any election. They buy the lawmakers that get into office. The Commission meeting,in which this resolution was presented ,was covered by the FO and by doing so left it completely open for debate. I feel it is shameful that it has taken a bunch of High School kids who watched as their friends were killed to bring this to our attention. Where are the adults in the room? Why after Sandy Hook was it forgotten about by our lawmakers? The answer is simple and factual, the NRA.
It’s a Bill of Rights not a Bill of Needs. The people that do these attacks are nuts. We don’t know when or where the next attack will happen. The only recourse is to be able to neutralize the threat i.e. kill it. The law abiding do not need to be sanctioned that is nothing more than politicians patting themselves on the back for getting good press and nothing more. Illicit drugs are banned and the streets are flooded with them. The homicides in Chicago are not being carried out by the law abiding, criminals don’t care about bans or ordinances.
Hope these waffle ‘resolutions’ make officials feel better when – not if – someone in our community opens fire and kills folks. It is sad that our elected officials – at every level – are unable to stand up to the NRA. Yes, we do need to vote them all out of office before we, ourselves, are gunned down.
The fixation on the NRA will ultimately prove to be unproductive. The organization was founded 145 years ago, in 1871, and its roots are deep and widespread throughout our nation. During the last 20 years, control of Congress and the White House has alternated between Republicans and Democrats and neither party has had the courage to adopt legislation to curb the sale of assault weapons. Not everyone is an NRA member, but for every person in this country, statistically, there is gun. None of the infamous shooters have been identified as NRA members.
If you are relying on third-party opinion about the NRA to reinforce your own views, you may want to do your own research. The NRA Form 990 is available on the internet. That form will detail how and where its revenue is spent directly and through its sister 501(C)3 organizations.
A productive use of time and a place to start a campaign would be to identify local retailers and pawn shop owners who traffic in sales of assault rifles and their components and “out” them. (This type of “outing” resulted in Nordstrom’s dropping the Ivanka Trump clothing line.) Activism in your local community can work.
PS: I don’t own a gun, nor am I an NRA member.
Christine, The fixation on the NRA would not be unproductive. As an example Sen Rubio has received in over3 .3 million from the NRA They spent about $6 million in 2017 for lobbying alone. We have to come to the realization that they , not lawmakers. are controlling what bills we pass, thinking otherwise is just wrong. No one can deny that the NRA sets the rules when it comes to gun control. Think about it, our President has met twice with NRA leaders in the last week to see what can be worked out with respect to stricter gun control laws. Why, the answer is simple, they run the show. Why should any President confer with the NRA with respect to changing the laws? I learned someplace years ago that Congress makes the laws and they don’t need approval from anyone but the President. With respect to neither party having the courage to put into effect an assault rifle ban, that is not true. President Clinton had an assault rifle ban passed in 1994 and wasn’t renewed in 2004 by a GOP held Congress.
Johnny Miller- “I think it’s crazy that a 19 year-old can walk into a gun store and buy an assault weapon with a high capacity magazine without any background check.”
Fact checking this proves this to be a lie.
The mayor should issue a correction…
Dana Loesch,
You and the organization that you represent should do some soul searching and “fact checking” of your own. Your efforts to protect your desire to own these types of weapons will only lead to more mass shootings and will eventually destroy the America that you claim to love. You and your group are not patriots – patriots wear a uniform and put their lives on the line to protect their fellow Americans and our way of life. Your organization works to undermine the honest processes of this democracy by corrupting the politicians we elect to represent ALL of us.
Shame on you and your group that you won’t even consider ANY change to our current laws – nothing! Your tired responses to these recurring attacks on innocent Americans amounts to domestic terrorism!
Council was wise to sidestep the hot button issues. The last thing we need is a resolution that stimulates the other side to come in to the next meeting and demand retraction. Sarah Pelican is not alone. These issues are state and federal, for which we have elected specific officials.
If the council diverts on these issues they will never get the Marina without water operating again!
Dana, I called shooters to get the correct information. Anyone over 18 can walk in and buy a military style assault weapon with a minimum background check that will take as little as 5 minutes. I can not speak for Johnny, but I was at that meeting and I took it that he meant no extensive background check is required, which by every law of common sense is actually crazy. No one under the age of 21 should be able to purchase any firearm. We as a society do not trust anyone under the age of 21 from buying a beer, but we do an assault rifle. That is what the vast majority of Americans think is crazy.
Remember Florida the “Gunshine State” has this law on the books – “A person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if: He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself,” the Florida law states Jul 3, 2017
If you arm educators in schools across Florida the ‘Stand Your Ground’ statute will still apply. We don’t need situations where confrontations between students and teachers escalate to the use of deadly force – or a student overpowers a teacher and obtains their gun and then uses that gun where none would have existed. Even trained law enforcement officers have their weapons taken from them from time to time during confrontations.
It’s an insane suggestion to an out of control situation to gun violence in America.
The simple solution? Remove access to these weapons of mass destruction from society once and for all. Don’t let the NRA backed politicians terrorize us by adding more guns to an already over-gunned society.
What I find disturbing is that the present legislation being considered, as with the resolution the City Commission was asked to pass, contains the language that states that minors may not “purchase” guns. A minor who receives a gun as a family Christmas or birthday present may still legally tote it around and fire it legally. No legislation is being offered to prohibit the “possession” of firearms by minors. Unlike beer, it is illegal for minors to buy it (purchase it), AND it is illegal for a minor to “possess” or drink it.