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NRA Targeting State Attorney Races In Florida

NRA

For the first time, the National Rifle Association is endorsing candidates for state attorney in Florida.

Prosecutors helped kill NRA-backed stand-your-ground legislation, but NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer says the decision to weigh in on their political races isn’t payback.

She says the debate over removing aggravated assault from the list of 10-20-Life gun crimes underscored the power prosecutors wield.

Supporters of the 10-20-Life bill cited the Jacksonville case of Marissa Alexander, who faced 60 years behind bars for firing a warning shot during a fight with her estranged husband.

The NRA is endorsing the opponent of Duval State Attorney Angela Corey, whose office prosecuted Alexander. Hammer is warning state attorney wannabees not to ignore NRA candidate questionnaires.

A Miami native, former WFSU reporter Jim Ash is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years of experience, most of it in print. He has been a member of the Florida Capital Press Corps since 1992.