Rep. Monique Miller (R- Palm Bay) Refused Petition Delivery from Pro-Gun Constituents; continues blockade of Open Carry Bill.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) and Florida Gun Rights (FLGR) issued a Joint statement condemning the actions of Florida State Representative Monique Miller (R- Palm Bay) for her refusal to accept delivery of thousands of petitions from constituents earlier today and for her continued blockade of Open Carry legislation.
Instead of graciously accepting petitions from her pro-gun constituents—an activity protected by the First Amendment—Rep. Miller needlessly escalated the situation by ordering the Florida House Sergeant at Arms to remove Florida Gun Rights Executive Director Logan Edge from the state capitol, where he was there to deliver the pro-Second Amendment petitions.
“This isn’t just a slap in the face to gun owners—it’s a deliberate attempt to bury the Open Carry bill while hiding behind a cheap political stunt,” said Ryan Flugaur, Vice President of the National Association for Gun Rights, the national affiliate of Florida Gun Rights.
“For weeks, Miller has been squatting on the Open Carry bill, refusing to introduce it, despite Governor DeSantis’ call in his State of the State Address for lawmakers to advance pro-gun legislation,” said Flugaur, “Other than Florida, only New York, California, and Illinois continue to have this gun control on the books, in defiance of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen Decision.”
“Governor Ron DeSantis said, ‘In spite of us saying we’re a free state, we’ve definitely lagged on that issue,’ while calling for Open Carry and repeal of Red Flag gun confiscation in his address today, and Rep. Monique Miller’s shameful actions are proof of that,” said Edge.
“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of pro-gun Floridians who want to bring Florida in line with the other 28 Constitutional Carry states, we’re urging Rep. Miller to apologize for her actions immediately, accept the petitions, and introduce the Open Carry bill without further delay,” Edge continued.
The National Association for Gun Rights legal council will be investigating this incident as a potential violation of Mr. Edge’s First Amendment Rights, as well as a violation of the First Amendment Rights of each petition signer.
For more information, please contact Taylor Rhodes at media@gunrights.org.
The National Association for Gun Rights is a 501(c)(4) organization headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, dedicated to defending the Second Amendment and fighting for the rights of peaceable Americans to keep and bear arms. Since its founding in 2001, NAGR has worked to hold anti-gun politicians accountable and promote maximum individual liberty by mobilizing more than 4.5 million members and grassroots activists nationwide.
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