Law-abiding Floridians are protected by a powerful state preemption law that prohibits local authorities from infringing on Second Amendment rights. However, this did not stop Okeechobee city officials from adopting a prohibition on gun sales and possession in the leadup to Hurricane Helene.

Multiple municipalities declared states of emergency prior to the storm’s landfall, but only Okeechobee included the gun ban. 

Now, a gun rights group wants the city government to pay for their transgression.

Florida Carry, Inc. sent a letter to members of the Okeechobee City Council chastising the political body for its ban on gun possession for anyone other than law enforcement and active military members.

The initial action was never enforced and was quickly withdrawn after strident protests poured in from the local area and across the nation. One admonishment came from the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), which blasted the declaration as “illegal and unconstitutional.”

Florida Carry, Inc. told recipients that it may sue city officials if the ordinance is not repealed within 30 days. It also demanded that payment for damages and attorneys’ fees be made as a resolution before legal action is taken.

The order went into effect on September 26 as Helene’s wrath struck the area. Police Chief Donald Hagan signed the prohibition but, according to the department, soon learned that it was not what city officials intended to enact.

Det. Jarret Romanello, the department’s public information officer, told CBS12 News that the government backtracked from the order. “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.”

Gun store owners reported that the order was not enforced, and their businesses were unaffected. Romanello emphasized that no guns were seized or businesses approached while the order was active.

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