Exercising the Right
Florida City Issues, Rescinds Order Banning Guns
In response to the approach of Hurricane Helene, the city of Okeechobee, Florida, declared a state of emergency and implemented an order prohibiting both the sale of guns and ammunition and the carrying of firearms.
Shortly after the order was made public, there was a backlash from gun owners. Police Chief Donald Hagan, who signed the order, was subjected to a torrent of complaints. The outcry got louder and louder until Governor Ron DeSantis became aware of it and contacted city officials. Within 12 hours of the order being issued, the city rescinded the order and claimed that it was issued by mistake.
Police department spokesperson Jarret Romanello told TCPalm.com on October 3 that Hagan actually expressed reservations over the order prior to signing it. “Chief Don Hagan had some concerns about the stipulations of the emergency order from the beginning, and once the order was placed in effect, it was in effect for about 12 hours and we started receiving some emails and phone calls about it, and the chief took a second look at it, took it to our legal team and he said he’s terminating it,” Romanello said.
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