Careful Spearfishing with All this Freshwater

[RodBow]

in the state of florida your allowed to open carry when your engaged in outdoor activities, (fishing, hunting, camping, hiking) or going to and from.

I would not want to get caught in the SMNWRefuge or adjacent waters carrying..

[J Holden]

in the state of florida your allowed to open carry when your engaged in outdoor activities, (fishing, hunting, camping, hiking) or going to and from.

I would not want to get caught in the SMNWRefuge or adjacent waters carrying..

Nothing illegal about it, as of May, 2009. You can carry in State Parks too.

(b) Protecting the Right of Individuals To Bear Arms in Units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System.–The Secretary of the Interior shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm including an assembled or functional firearm in any unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System if–

(1) the individual is not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing the firearm; and

(2) the possession of the firearm is in compliance with the law of the State in which the unit of the National Park System or the National Wildlife Refuge System is located.

[Redfin]

Dang Chris!!! That's crazy.

Lucky kid...

[Sir reel]

With respect to the issue that Rodbow and J Holden were fleshing out, this is straight off the FWC question and answer site....
Firearms on wildlife management areas.
Answer ID 2429 | Published 11/02/2006 04:04 PM | Updated 10/19/2011 12:03 PM Can I open carry a firearm on wildlife management areas? What about during nonhunting periods or during archery, muzzleloading gun or spring turkey seasons? What if I have a concealed permits permit?Yes, you may open carry a firearm on most (see below exceptions) wildlife management areas (WMAs) at any time and during any hunting season. However, you only may take or attempt to take wildlife using methods of take that are legal for each specific season and WMA. In order to carry a concealed firearm, you would need to have a concealed weapons permit.

It is important to note, federal rules that are enforced by federal law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service apply on these federal hunting lands and military installations - Camp Blanding, Eglin Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, Avon Park, St. Marks, St. Vincent Island, Lower Suwannee, Lake Woodruff, Merritt Island and A.R.M. Loxahatchee. On these areas, according to federal rules, you may only be in possession of firearms during hunting seasons when they are allowed.

Not trying to flame anybody but wouldn't some of the creeks, etc. fall into the SMWMA?? Just saying... this is an example IMO why its so easy to be in conflict with the regs unintentionally because they are so hard to understand.

[J Holden]

With respect to the issue that Rodbow and J Holden were fleshing out, this is straight off the FWC question and answer site....
Firearms on wildlife management areas.
Answer ID 2429 | Published 11/02/2006 04:04 PM | Updated 10/19/2011 12:03 PM Can I open carry a firearm on wildlife management areas? What about during nonhunting periods or during archery, muzzleloading gun or spring turkey seasons? What if I have a concealed permits permit?Yes, you may open carry a firearm on most (see below exceptions) wildlife management areas (WMAs) at any time and during any hunting season. However, you only may take or attempt to take wildlife using methods of take that are legal for each specific season and WMA. In order to carry a concealed firearm, you would need to have a concealed weapons permit.

It is important to note, federal rules that are enforced by federal law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service apply on these federal hunting lands and military installations - Camp Blanding, Eglin Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, Avon Park, St. Marks, St. Vincent Island, Lower Suwannee, Lake Woodruff, Merritt Island and A.R.M. Loxahatchee. On these areas, according to federal rules, you may only be in possession of firearms during hunting seasons when they are allowed.

Not trying to flame anybody but wouldn't some of the creeks, etc. fall into the SMWMA?? Just saying... this is an example IMO why its so easy to be in conflict with the regs unintentionally because they are so hard to understand.

FWC is stuck on old information.

The St Marks NWR is a Federal NWR and is subject to the ruling I quoted above. Technically, you may not carry into buildings designated as federal buildings inside a NWR.. But you're good to go everywhere else. FWC's site "says" they updated their ruling in 2011 but I just read the same entry someone quoted in 2008 and it was virtually unchanged. This is what a NWR head honcho had to say, it's for Delaware but since it's Federal the same laws apply here.

Visitors with a State issued license to carry concealed firearms are allowed to carry their firearm onto Bombay Hook and Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuges. While possession of a concealed firearm on the Refuges is allowed, possession of a firearm is still prohibited in Federal facilities, such as the Refuge offices and visitor centers, maintenance buildings and other structures.

Concealed carry in Florida WMA's is 100% legal, FWC singled those specific ones out because they are Federal and thus subject to Federal law, which, at the time, said CCW was a no go. With the new ruling it is legal to carry in Federal NWR's, FWC just hasn't gotten around to reflecting this yet.


From handgunlaw.us

#6 Question: Can I carry in a National Park/National Wildlife Refuge?

Answer: Yes on February 22, 2010. The law was struck down and then passed again and does not take effect
till February 22, 2010. When the law goes into effect if you can legally carry a concealed firearm in the state
the National Park/National Wildlife Refuge is located in you are legal to carry in NP’s/ NWMA’s in that state.
If you can not legally carry concealed in the state you are in then you can not carry in the NP’s/NWMA’s in that
state. You can not carry into any federally owned buildings in National Parks/National Wildlife Refuges as
other federal laws ban the carrying of firearms in federal buildings.

[bbb]

Which version is correct?

BBF version:
........when a 9 and 1/2 foot gator took a nip at his son. Thank god - someone was watching over him as he only received light scratches on his chest and back... pretty sure he walked on water back to the boat.

A quick call to FWC for permission - and the retrieval of a gun, and we have a new king of the swamp... friend said the water wasn't too stained - son said all the sudden felt a scratching on his back, he thought it was a shark grabbing at his bag of fish and threw an elbow.




WCTV version:
"The alligator came from my left and bit me across my chest."

Kaleb immediately yelled at his grandfather for help.

"He started screaming papa, there's a shark, a shark, but it wasn't a shark, it was a gator, a ten-foot gator," said Billy Ezell, Kaleb's grandfather.

Luckily, the gator let him go after he started to fight back. His grandfather then tried to run it off with the boat. But, that's not where the story ends.

"We went around the creek looking for him and we saw him on the bottom to see how big he was and then we got some guns and killed him," Towles said.

Then they called the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission to file a report.

[Charlie P]

Sounds fishy to me!

[Scoop Sea]

I heard there was an eight footer lurking around the scallop boats yesterday out near the rock garden. I didn't see it, but had two folks say they did.

[Redfin]

I also heard today FWC found ( or was told of and saw) a floating 11 footer south of Cedar Island someone plugged- they are worried now folks re going to go Swamp People on the gators round here illegally-

[lonesouth]

Kid lost an arm yesterday to a 11 footer, just heard on the radio...

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/10/al ... latestnews

[kirt]

never had any trouble carrying a pistol on board as it is almost never out of reach wherever I go for that matter. I have a permit but have never been asked for it. I have gotten checked several times and have it in my small clear dry box with my wallet and phone. I just let the officer know that it is with my wallet and they have always told me it was OK to open it and even had one officer proceed to ask me what kind I carried and how I liked it and so on for a few minutes. I dont think I would worry too much about what creeks I can carry in, have too many other things to worry about.

[bbb]

I heard there was an eight footer lurking around the scallop boats yesterday out near the rock garden. I didn't see it, but had two folks say they did.

I've counted as many as 12 alligators around Palmetto Island and the Rock Garden at one time. I guess at night they feed on the flats cause these were not up the creeks.

And I'm not talking about the 3-4 feet kind. Everyone we came up on was between 8-10 feet, including the one that likes to hang out at the jetty's near the Lighthouse ramp.

[BloodyChamp]

Mmmm!!! Gator tail!!! That youngun will be telling that story for the rest of his life.

[Redfin]

Lol. You’re only 7 years late.


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[Apalachee Inshore]

That is nuts, spearfishing those tidal creeks never really sounded safe to me. I’ve seen a bunch of gators in the salt and they are almost always big.