Sheriff Simmons Lobbies Congress, Says Library Gun Ban Won't Be Enforced

Escambia County, FL (Newsradio 92.3) -- Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons is in Washington, D.C., this week presenting community programs to sheriffs from across the country and lobbying Congress on mental health and fraud prevention legislation.

Simmons presented on the Escambia County Sheriff's Office's Blazer Academy, Dream Big program, and community movie nights at the National Sheriffs Conference. He said other agencies were eager to learn how the programs work.

"I guess because we see it every day and we do it every day, we don't understand that that's not the way it is in other parts of the country," Simmons said. "And they were really interested in how we went about it, how we funded it."

On Capitol Hill, Simmons is pushing for the Reentry Act, which would increase Medicaid access for inmates with mental health issues. He said 60 percent of the jail population suffers from mental health problems.

Simmons is also supporting the ATM Fraud Prevention Act, which would regulate crypto kiosks often used in scams. He said criminals posing as law enforcement are directing victims to pay fines in bitcoin at convenience store kiosks.

Back home, Simmons addressed the West Florida Public Libraries Board of Governance's new policy prohibiting firearms inside libraries. The policy, approved January 26, states firearms are not permitted except as allowed by state law.

Simmons said his deputies won't enforce the prohibition.

"They're funded by tax dollars, which in my book makes them a public place, and we will treat it as such," Simmons said. "We'll likely have a pleasant conversation and go about our business."

The First District Court of Appeal ruled last year that governments cannot prohibit open or concealed carry in public spaces funded by tax dollars.

Simmons also praised a deputy whose alertness led to an animal cruelty arrest last week after a man allegedly abandoned two dogs without food or water on Bexlake Road during the cold snap.

The full interview with Sheriff Chip Simmons can be found on the Newsradio 92.3 website or on the Newsradio 92.3 mobile app.