Jacksonville, Fl has put into service their first gun-sniffing dog. How this differs from an explosives smelling dog, I don’t know.

According to a report from First Coast News, the dog will be used, “at schools and events.”

Did you notice the subtlety?  The public talking points from the department, and the interview with the dog’s handler, all highlight how the dog will be used to keep our children safe at school.

The part they gloss over is the part I’m focusing on. That is the “events” part.  What is an event? How broad of a stroke is that definition? This is the next small step in the erosion of 2nd Amendment rights.

Florida joined the now majority of states in passing a constitutional carry law this year. That’s right, no need for a concealed permit in Florida anymore. So, everyone can legally enjoy their rights to be armed.

So, if it’s legal to carry a firearm, then why the need for a gun-sniffing dog for events? The poor dog will wear itself out alerting to all the legally carried guns. When the dog alerts to a gun, is that probable cause to stop someone? Whether it is or not, it seems like this is just an excuse to overreach the department’s authority. Consider the following scenario: Officer and dog are downtown. The dog alerts to a pedestrian walking by. Here’s the legal tipping point.  Big deal, the pedestrian is legally carrying a gun. Is that probable cause to open an investigation? Next scenario:  a group of people are celebrating a friend’s birthday at a waterfront park. That qualifies as an event, doesn’t it? Does this mean if the officer is driving by, they can stop and use the dog to check them out?

I get wanting to get the most bang (pun intended) for the taxpayers’ buck. I appreciate the multiple use role for the dog. I think it’s overkill at the schools since you already have to go through a screening process just to get into them. But, I’ll play along with the children’s safety argument. I have a son in the school district. I’d like him to be able to go about his day without fear of being shot.

Maybe it’s just a case of bad timing. I know it takes a while to train the dog after the funds have been allocated, dog procured, etc. Perhaps the program was started before the gun legislation became a focal point for Florida congress.  Sometimes it works out that way.

I propose the dog be repurposed for a broader explosives detection role. To make a big deal out of it being a specific gun-sniffing dog seems a bit out of step. It also seems a bit intrusive to law-abiding folk going about their day.

I opened the can of worms there. Why should law-abiding people be worried about this?  They aren’t doing anything wrong, so what’s the big deal? It’s all in the name of safety. Don’t you want to be safe?

Well, two things come to mind. First, the inconvenience of being stopped to be screened for something that is legal is a waste of peoples’ time. I don’t know about you, but I consider my time to be precious. To stop me for a legal activity is harassment. Second, history has already shown us an example of what happens when law-abiding people are stopped. Does “Show me your papers!” ring any bells?