Having been rebuffed by Gov. Scott, Tampa is now appealing directly to Congress and the Secret Service to get a federal crackdown on gun possession near the convention.
Currently, the Secret Service has a security perimeter around the immediate convention venue where weapons are prohibited except for on-duty law enforcement. The city is urging the Secret Service to expand the perimeter to include the entire Event Zone, including downtown, Ybor City, Hyde Park and the northern tip of Harbour Island.
The Event Zone restricts people from carrying everything from gas masks to rope to water pistols. But state law prohibits local governments from regulating concealed weapons, a rule that has opened the city to national ridicule.
“It’s almost unnerving that the Legislature and governor have put us in this position,” Capin said.
Read more at Tampa Bay Online
