Former Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried was no friend to gun owners, which made her being in charge of the permitting process in Florida kind of weird.

Of course, her actions in that role might well have contributed to permitless carry passing in the state, but that’s only speculation on my part.

However, Fried also admits to being a gun owner herself. She has a permit, even, though one hopes it was issued prior to her taking office. Regardless, the interesting thing here isn’t that the Democrat has a carry permit, but the other permit she has.

In 2019, just days before she was sworn in as Agriculture Commissioner — who oversees Florida’s Concealed Weapon or Firearm License (CWFL) program — Fried appeared on “The Marijuana Solution’s” podcast. She told listeners that according to state law, Floridians could possess both a CWFL and a state-issued medical marijuana card, despite federal prohibitions.

“I have both,” Fried said on the podcast, which was sponsored by a marijuana vendor. “So, I want to make that very clear, that I will not be taking anybody’s concealed weapons permit or not renewing them. I see no conflict between the two.”

The podcast’s website has since been taken down, but other evidence still exists.

While running for governor in 2021, Fried posted a picture on her campaign’s Facebook page of her medical marijuana card. The photo was captioned: “I’m a proud medical marijuana card-holder and I’ll fight like hell to stop Republicans in the Florida Legislature from restricting patient access.”

In a 2018 Tweet, Fried admitted she owned at least one firearm.

“The NRA says I’ll take your guns—that’s a lie. I own a gun, I’m not anti-gun, I’m pro-public safety. The gun lobby feels threatened, they just spent $1 million on ads to maintain control of our government. I’m running to restore accountability and ensure full background checks,” she said in the Tweet.

Now, I don’t have an issue with Fried having a gun and using marijuana. For me, this isn’t about ideology. What I think is right is right for everyone, even if I vehemently disagree with them on most issues. That applies to Fried.

But noted in the above-linked piece by Lee Williams over at The Gun Writer is just who does have an issue with people doing that: The ATF.

Remember that the ATF wrote a letter specifically saying that state-level legalization of cannabis doesn’t negate federal law regarding the unlawful use of illegal drugs and gun ownership.

Yet, like Hunter Biden, Fried is a fairly high-profile Democrat.

Unlike the Virginia mother who now faces federal gun charges because of her marijuana use, Fried is connected to some degree or another, as is Hunter.

They seem to be getting a pass while others who lack those Democratic Party connections risk facing the full force of the United States government.

Again, I don’t care if pot users have guns. I think the rules against it are stupid, in part because the DEA is looking the other way on the cannabis trade in states where it’s legal. What I do care about is equal protection under the law as opposed to one set of rules for high-profile Democrats and one for everyone else.