JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The State Attorney’s Office criminal investigation into an allegedly illegal gun registry kept by the City of Jacksonville might end up being the first time the state’s 21-year-old ban on gun registries is leveraged against a local government and or government officials.
At least nine current and former city officials have been subpoenaed as part of the investigation so far.
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Action News Jax investigates was first to uncover how the city began logging the names of people who entered city buildings while carrying concealed firearms.
The practice started on July 24, 2023, according to public records.
It was 23 days after Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan took office and the state’s permitless carry law took effect.
The mayor’s office has claimed the policy predates her administration, pointing to a draft of the policy dated June 30, 2023.
“This directive was written before Mayor Deegan was sworn into office. It was sent from a city employee to a private security firm, and she was never aware of it. As soon as we found out about it, the practice was stopped,” a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Action News Jax in an emailed statement. “Proactive measures are currently being taken to review all city policies, the bulk of which were inherited from past administrations, to ensure compliance with state law, and we are reviewing the approval process to ensure there are proper checks and balances moving forward.”
On Friday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called for anyone responsible for the creation of the city’s gun-owner logs to be held responsible.
“Doing these secret gun registries is completely unacceptable,” DeSantis said.
Based on records obtained through the Florida court system, Action News Jax has discovered this appears to be the first case of its kind.
In our review of the 42 cases dating back to 2004 that cited the section containing the prohibition on gun registries, none of those cases involved local governments or government officials.
Now, Jacksonville’s apparently unprecedented case is also becoming an issue in the upcoming gubernatorial race.
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“Nothing just happens because some low-level staffer did it. So that’s why I feel this need to be looked into,” Trump-backed Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL 19th District) said.
Congressman Donalds spoke explosively with Action News Jax on Monday.
He argued that this issue needs to be front and center for the legislature, Governor, and Attorney General.
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“Whoever is responsible for this, in my view, needs to be removed from office because that’s a violation of the 2nd Amendment. You’re not allowed to do that,” Donalds said.
While declining to comment specifically on the Governor and Congressman’s statements, the Mayor’s Office did comment on the investigation.
“We have full faith and confidence in the State Attorney’s investigation, and we continue to fully cooperate,” said a spokesperson with the mayor’s office in an emailed statement.
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