A spokesperson for the group discusses the insanely bad call made by the local police department.
Whenever a natural disaster is ready to hit, police departments usually take certain precautions in an effort to keep their people safe. One, however, went a bit too far, accidently enacting a full-on gun ban.
Okeechobee Police Chief Donald Hagen unconstitutionally applied a Florida stature, usually limited to riots and acts of violence, that outright banned guns. Considering Governor Ron DeSantis’ usually relaxed policy on guns, this caused a huge uproar in the community.
The accidentally-applied ban only lasted for several hours before DeSantis got a hold of the police chief and demanded a repeal of the accidental ban. Not only that, but he apparently applied for a legislative repeal to avoid such a mistake from happening again.
“This is something that was mistakenly enacted. Once we learned that the emergency order was not the order that we intended to declare, we immediately terminated it,” Det. Jarret Romanello, Public Information Officer for the Okeechobee Police Department, noted in a statement.
Still, it’s a colossal mistake – and, apparently, one anyone can make in the face of any sort of disaster. Is this something that should have some form of amendment in place to keep it from happening again?
A Gun Owners of America spokesperson joins us now to discuss the matter further.
Sam Parades, another Gun Owners of America spokesman, is available to speak on this subject, serving as Executive Director of the Gun Owners of America.
Stephen Willeford, the 2017 “hero with a gun” who serves as the spokesman for the Gun Owners of America; and Antonia Okafor, National Director of Womens’ Outreach for the group, are also available for interview.
Q&A:
- What does this “mistake” in the time of a natural disaster say about how some states don’t pay close attention to certain gun laws?
- Is this a mistake that can happen anywhere, given how some people are trying to get guns banned anyway?
- What kind of disaster could result from “accidentally” banning guns with something like this? Could there be a massive increase in crime?
- Are you pleased that Gov. DeSantis not only asked for the rescinding of the ban, but is working on putting provisions in place to assure it doesn’t happen again?
- You’ve often noted how Constitutional-Carry (or Concealed-Carry as some call it) can actually make streets safer during times of crisis. Explain this further.
- FOR STEPHEN: You recently wrote a book called A Town Called Sutherland Springs: Faith and Heroism Through Tragedy, revolving around your 2017 “hero with a gun” situation. Tell us more about how this came together, and why it’s such an important read right now.
- FOR STEPHEN: Where can people find your book?
- Where can we learn more about you, as well as Gun Owners of America?
- You can learn more at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com. You can also read more about the Gun Owners of America at https://www.gunowners.org/.
About Sam Paredes…
Sam Paredes has been with Gun Owners of California for over 35 years, currently serving as Executive Director, a position he has held since 1998. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Gun Owners of America and Treasurer of Gun Owners Foundation.
GOC is a non-profit lobbying organization formed to protect and preserve our Second Amendment rights in California. Paredes is a registered lobbyist, has testified in hundreds of legislative committee hearings and has advocated on behalf of the gun community before the California Fish and Game Commission, the Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Department of Justice.
Paredes has been interviewed by virtually every California news outlet as well as national and international media such as Fox News, ABC World News Tonight, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, the Larry Elder Show, Al Jazeera and the BBC (Britain and Australia) as an expert on gun laws in the Golden State. He is a frequent speaker before conservative groups and has given workshops on “Confrontational Politics” in Missouri, Nevada and throughout California and has served as co-host of Sacramento’s “Just Guns” radio show on Money 105.5 FM.
About Stephen Willeford…
Stephen represents Gun Owners of America and is known around the country as the “good guy with the gun” for helping stop the largest Texas mass shooting in the history of the state in 2017. He is available to speak about all gun rights issues, as well as the importance of Gun Owners of America. You can read more about him at http://www.thebarefootdefender.com.
About Antonia Okafor…
Antonia Okafor Cover is the National Director of Womens’ Outreach for Gun Owners of America. In 2017, Antonia created the organization Empowered 2A, a women’s-only non-profit created to empower all women through the Second Amendment, firearm training and education, and advocacy. Antonia now runs Empowered 2A through Gun Owners of America. GOA is proud to have the organization as its official project to increase female participation in the Second Amendment community. Antonia also works on increasing membership in GOA by reaching recently growing demographics of gun owners: women, African Americans, Latinos, and other traditionally underrepresented groups in the Second Amendment community.
Antonia also serves as a national spokesperson for GOA. You will see her on a regular basis on national TV on channels such as OANN, Newsmax, Fox News, and the Black News Channel (BNC) promoting our human right to keep and bear arms. Her written work has been published on Fox News, NBC, the New York Times, and The Independent. In addition, Antonia is the host of Bulletproof–a Second Amendment/current-events focused show that is a partnership between GOA and the podcast network, Ricochet.
CONTACT: Todd Baumann at 512-966-0983 or by email Jerry McGlothlin at bookings@specialguests.com.
