Jacksonville leaders hold heated discussion about alleged illegal gun registry investigation
Jacksonville City Council members on Monday gathered to discuss what's being called an illegal gun registry.
Action News Jax first broke the story Thursday, after Councilman Nick Howland claimed the city was documenting any visitors carrying concealed weapons into two city buildings.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
The city's top lawyer, General Counsel Michael Fackler, addressed leaders at the Rules Committee meeting. He said the city has hired outside counsel to represent the city during the course of an investigation by the State Attorney's Office.
Since July 1st, 2023, Florida law has prevented local governments from prohibiting legal gun owners from carrying concealed in government buildings.
It's the same day that Mayor Donna Deegan officially came into office.
Read: Florida woman denied Real ID over missing 50-year-old marriage record
During the meeting on Monday, Fackler stated his office first learned of the alleged illegal gun registry on April 21st and hired outside legal representation that same day. The next day, Fackler said that they received subpoenas from the State Attorney's Office, but he did not review them.
This was something that Councilman Ron Salem pushed back on.
'I don't see how you can hire an outside attorney before you even understood the subpoenas and what they were looking for.'
Read: MOSH doors will open one last time on August 31st
However, City Councilman Jimmy Peluso reminded everyone about a prior meeting they all had two years ago, when the law was going into effect with agencies handling security for city buildings.
'All of you who were sitting up here then, just like you are sitting up here now, nobody said a word about it. I remember I was sitting in this seat, during that time, so all of a sudden for people to claim that 'oh wow, there's this awful registry that came out of nowhere.' No, no, we learned about it in 2023 and none of you said anything.'
Florida statute says "A state governmental agency or local government...may not knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms."
Action News Jax reached out to the State Attorney's Office to confirm the investigation. They said they cannot confirm anything at this time.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Former NFL player Adam ‘Pacman' Jones arrested in Kentucky
Police in Kentucky arrested former NFL player Adam 'Pacman' Jones. Action News Jax's Ohio station, WHIO-TV, reports Jones was booked into the Kenton County Jail early Saturday morning. Jones, who is from Atlanta, faces charges of public intoxication, disorderly conduct in the second degree and assault on a police officer in the third degree, according to the jail records. Police have not said what led to the charges. Advertisement This is at least the third arrest within the past two years for Jones, who has a history of legal issues. WHIO-TV reported Jones was arrested at the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) in 2023 for alcohol intoxication, terroristic threatening, and disorderly conduct. He later pleaded guilty to one count of disorderly conduct in December 2023. Arlington, Texas police arrested Jones back in November after officers said he got into a fight near AT&T Stadium after the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match, the Athletic reported. Jones played 13 years in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. Advertisement >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida residents voice opposition to potential offshore drilling plans
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is taking public comments on a program that would open up nearly the entire U.S. coastline to oil drilling. As you can see on this map, the coasts of both Florida and Georgia are included. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< The Florida state constitution bans drilling on the coastline, but that only applies to water within three miles of the coast. The rest is federally owned, and that's the water the Trump administration wants to open. Jahlonious Monk has been living in Jacksonville for the last 20 years. He is completely against the idea. 'I think it's messed up like I don't think that should happen. I think that the nature here is so amazing and it's such a beautiful place that we should protect and preserve,' said Monk. 'Who wants to visit here when it's full of pollution?' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Visitors such as Kenneth Smith, who traveled here from Ohio, felt the same way. 'No, I wouldn't come if there is drilling. I'd just leave everything like it is,' said Smith. While the White House tries to make the change, there's a bill in Congress to help. It would remove former President Biden's block on adding offshore drilling sites. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] We reached out to all four U.S. representatives in our viewing area, whose district includes the Atlantic coast. Congressman Aaron Bean (R-FL) 'While I support responsible investments in American energy, I remain opposed to opening Florida's Atlantic Coast to offshore drilling. We must continue to safeguard our beautiful beaches and coastal waters that drive our state's economy,' U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean (R-FL) said. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's 45-day public comment period ends June 16th, 2025. To learn more about the oil and gas leasing program, click here. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Jacksonville LGBTQ+ advocate ‘disgusted' by local Republican club Facebook post
LGBTQ+ advocates respond with outrage after a Facebook post from a local Republican group appeared to tie Pride Month to notorious criminals, including serial killers and sex offenders. The post, shared by the Mandarin Republican Club, included the caption: 'Happy Pride Month. So glad our Acosta Bridge was lit in their honor.' Below were images of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, convicted child molester Jerry Sandusky, and a Georgia couple convicted of sexually assaulting their children. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Also included in the post was a photo of Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan with Andrew Gillum, a former Florida gubernatorial candidate who was involved in a sex scandal but never faced any criminal charges. LGBTQ+ community leader James Eddy called the post offensive and hateful. 'In this day and age, people on Facebook feel like they can put anything,' Eddy said. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'It's sad that it came from the Republican Party.' Eddy said he 'really was disgusted… the fact that you associate Pride—because they said 'Happy Pride' in it—with pictures of like Jeffrey Dahmer.' The post appeared to criticize a peaceful protest where supporters lit up the Acosta Bridge with flashlights. That protest was in response to a state ban on lighting public structures in specific colors, which LGBTQ+ advocates believe targets Pride celebrations. 'You know, when something is taken away, you try to fight against it,' Eddy added. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] After Action News Jax began asking questions, the post was deleted. The Duval County Republican Party responded with a statement: 'We did not push it out. We did not approve it. We did not sanction it.' Attempts to contact the head of the Mandarin Republican Club were unsuccessful. The mayor's office declined to comment. As of now, it is still unclear who within the Mandarin Republican Club was responsible for the post. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
