Florida Bill Seeks To Make It Easier For Felons To Get Rights Restored

By Tom Knighton

Should felons get their rights, including their right to keep and bear arms, have an easier time getting their rights restored? That’s the question up for debate in Florida right now where a bill seeks to streamline the process for a convicted felon to get their voting and Second Amendment rights restored.

The bill, HB 903, was filed on Dec. 6 by State Rep. Cord Byrd (R-Neptune Beach) would allow judges to restore the rights of felons after they’ve completed prison sentences and probation.

Florida currently prohibits convicted felons from owning firearms or voting.

“Currently, the average wait time for Restoration of Rights is over 9 years, with some as long as 11 years,” Byrd wrote in a Facebook post. “Over 22,000 applications are pending, with only a few hundred being processed each year. Clearly the system is broken.”

A couple of points need to be made.

First, the headline for this story reads, “New Bill Would Allow Florida Felons to Own Guns.” Nothing about their voting rights, which are also in the mix.

Sounds like someone’s trying to scare the people of Florida.

Second, let’s get into the meat of the issue. Should convicted felons have an easier path to …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms