![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/nikki-fried-campaign.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf you were one of the tens of millions of Americans who watched POTUS Donald Trump give his second State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, it\u2019s likely you were\u00a0among the vast majority<\/a>\u00a0who viewed his message favorably and approved of his call for unity and his appeal for patriotism, border security, prosperity, and protection of life.<\/p>\n But despite the president\u2019s\u00a0high ratings and approval<\/a>, there remains a sizable portion of the country that is vehemently opposed to him and his continued leadership, and they are growing more militant by the day. This is a problem because too many Left-wing Democrats at the state and local level are working to make their citizens far less able to defend themselves if the civil society were to break down.<\/p>\n Some say an example of this Leftist \u2018resistance\u2019 can be found in Florida, where voters have elected Nikki Fried to be the state\u2019s Agriculture Commissioner.<\/p>\n As\u00a0reported by<\/a>\u00a0Marion Hammer writing at\u00a0Ammoland<\/i>, Fried has not only taken over the state\u2019s agriculture commission, the anti-gun rights advocate has assumed control of the agency\u2019s \u201cadministration of the concealed weapons and firearms licensing programs under the Division of Licensing\u201d within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.<\/p>\n That gives them de facto control over the state\u2019s 2.1 million current firearms license holders, the website noted. (Related:\u00a0Wave of \u201cred flag laws\u201d are coming that will deprive all Americans of their firearms because owning one is deemed \u201ccrazy\u201d by left-wing bureaucrats<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Hammer cautions that it\u2019s not time to panic yet, however.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf you believe the media, you would think newly elected Commissioner Nikki Fried is hell-bent on destroying the licensing program. Further, Fried\u2019s newly-hired Deputy Commissioner Mary Barzee Flories (D), might be planning to take a wrecking ball to it,\u201d Hammer noted<\/p>\n Local media \u2014 the\u00a0Tampa Bay Times<\/i>\u00a0\u2014 reported last month that in a previous campaign Flories claimed that she was \u201c100 percent committed to taking on the NRA,\u201d and that \u201cshe supports universal background checks and the reinstatement of the federal assault weapons ban.\u201d The paper, cited by Hammer, noted further that Flories\u2019 \u201cstance on gun control drew donations and volunteers from groups like Moms Demand Actions, a gun-control advocacy group\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Hammer cautioned: \u201cDon\u2019t be fooled by campaign rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n Fried and her staff are required to follow the Constitution and state law, so despite their personal beliefs about guns and gun rights, they can\u2019t impose their will to retrofit current programs that are governed by statutes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And in fact, Fried campaigned on a pledge to fix problems with the license-holder program, not eliminate it \u2014 something that is actually a good idea. But only provided she takes on legitimate problems rather than fabricating problems and issues and recommending or implementing \u2018fixes\u2019 that violate the spirit of the law and the Constitution.<\/p>\n \u201cThe CW Licensing Program is not a political football, it\u2019s a program that facilitates the constitutional right to keep and bear arms and the constitutional right of self-defense,\u201d notes Hammer. \u201cOver 2 million license holders will hold her accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n The website also noted that moving the licensing program to a law enforcement entity also isn\u2019t necessary because it \u201cshould remain squarely under an elected official who must swear to uphold the Constitution and the law and can be held\u201d directly accountable to voters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So for now, Hammer says it\u2019s best to take a \u2018wait-and-see\u2019 approach to what Fried will do in Florida. But others caution that the Left is\u00a0busy at work attempting to circumvent existing statutes and the Constitution<\/a>\u00a0to prevent law-abiding Americans from enjoying their gun protections, most notably through \u201cred flag\u201d laws that deprive citizens of their due process and Second Amendment rights.<\/p>\n And all at a time when\u00a0political tensions are at a high simmer<\/a>, waiting to boil over.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Left is hard at work around the country trying to circumvent our right to self-defense<\/b><\/h2>\n