By Anthony Morelli

One Republican went rogue and came out for gun control.

Now she is pushing hard for major restrictions on gun ownership.

But gun owners are standing up to her and fighting back.

Kathleen Passidomo is the president of the Florida Senate. She is a Republican, but she has developed a bit of a reputation over the years for not being particularly conservative.

She has made quite a few enemies on the right for her liberal stances on various issues, and now she is taking a similarly left-wing stance on the gun issue.

Florida ostensibly passed a “Constitutional Carry” bill last year, but it was quite a bit softer than other such bills, because it didn’t include open carry.

Of course, it makes no sense to have concealed carry be legal but open carry illegal. And many pro-gun activists and elected officials in Florida are trying to take steps to fix that by legalizing open carry in the state.

But Passidomo is standing directly in their way, and she has made clear that she never wants Florida to legalize open carry.

And gun owners in Florida are fighting back.

Here’s what Florida Carry, an advocacy group for Florida gun owners, had to say: “Once again, Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has made it crystal clear that only she gets to decide which civil rights are allowed in Florida, and the Second Amendment isn’t one of them.

“The Naples Republican is singlehandedly blocking legislation that would restore our right to Open Carry — a key component of the right to keep and bear arms, which is codified in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and Art.1 Sec. 8 of the Constitution of the State of Florida.

“Open Carry refers to the act of carrying a firearm in plain sight. In Florida, you can only carry a loaded firearm openly while fishing, hunting or camping.”

This is an outrageous set of laws, especially for a state with such a huge Republican majority.

But Passidomo’s district is an extremely wealthy one that covers Naples, where gun ownership is likely not as high as it is in some rural districts.

As such, her constituents may be uncomfortable with guns, and she is trying to pander to them.

Florida Carry continues, “We also call on Senate President Passidomo to better educate herself on the U.S. Constitution — especially the Second Amendment. Perhaps she should talk to more Floridians, not just those with badges in their billfolds.”

They said this because Passidomo is trying to claim that her opposition to open carry is because law enforcement doesn’t want it.

What she is ignoring is that law enforcement groups have supported gun control repeatedly in many different states.

This doesn’t mean every officer supports gun control, only the unions and organizations that claim to represent them.

Passidomo is using these organizations to provide cover for her gun control views.

Thankfully, gun owners in Florida are standing up and refusing to back down from their fight to stop Kathleen Passidomo from restricting gun rights in Florida.