Vern Buchanan's anti-gun vote produced a primary opponent

Sarasota businessman Martin Hyde says the Second Amendment will be the key issue in a primary race against the Longboat Key Republican.

Martin Hyde

SARASOTA — Congressman Vern Buchanan is one of the wealthiest politicians in Washington.

Buchanan made his money — estimated at more than $100 million — from car dealerships and investments in other businesses, including some located offshore.

Sarasota businessman Martin Hyde — a British native — knows this, but he believes that despite Buchanan’s extreme wealth, he can beat him in a Republican primary because of Buchanan’s recent vote against the Second Amendment.

The gun vote, Hyde said, will be “absolutely pivotal” in the primary race.

“I don’t know what constitution he reads, but shall not means shall not,” Hyde told me Wednesday morning. “I don’t know why Buchanan substitutes his judgement for that of the Founding Fathers, but it tells me who he is, and if we don’t get him out, we’re condoning it.

“This goes to character,” Hyde said. “This is a fatal flaw — that he believes the Second Amendment is negotiable. Leave the Second Amendment alone. ”

Last week, Buchanan was one of only eight Republicans who voted for the horribly anti-gun H.R.8, which outlaws private gun sales by requiring mandatory background checks on every single transfer.

As I wrote earlier, the bill will likely result in the creation of a national gun registry and eventual confiscation.

Here’s what the National Rifle Association had to say about the H.R. 8:

“H.R. 8, so called “universal” background checks, cannot be enforced without a federal gun registry, will not prevent crime, and will turn otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals for simply loaning a firearm to friends or family members,” said Jason Ouimet, executive director of NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action. “If Congress is serious about the safety of law-abiding citizens, it should have passed concealed carry reciprocity so that Americans can safeguard themselves and their families across state lines and throughout our country during these dangerous times.”

Buchanan did not respond to calls or emails sent to his staff Wednesday seeking comment for this story.

Soccer pro

Hyde grew up in London, where father had a copier business while Xerox was at its peak.

“I was a professional soccer player, but I wasn’t good enough for the big leagues, so I went to work for my father, initially. That was my entrance to the business world,” Hyde said.

Nowadays, Hyde’s Florida company is more about software than hardware.

“We do application software,” he said. “We have stuff that enhances scanned images. We are turning hard-copy files into searchable and usable data.”

He still retains a bit of a British accent, but not a shred of any liberal British politics.

He is a conservative and a proud American citizen.

“We had the Magna Carta in England, which America picked up hundreds of years later and turned into a workable document,” he said. “People came here seeking the opportunity to determine their own lives without government intervention. I am strongly against the expansion of government, and that is exactly why the Second Amendment is so important.

“I’m also a strong believer in term limits,” he said. “We should have the best people we can have representing us for eight years, and then they should go back to daily life. This was never meant to be a career. If a politician can’t imagine that their term will ever end, they might start to think they’re King George.”

Single issue race

Hyde said for him the upcoming primary will be solely about the Second Amendment.

“It’s not about technicalities like semi-autos or bump stocks — that’s missing the point. This is the point: The Second Amendment needs to be left alone. It is what created America. Without it, we were just a group of people wandering the plains.

“That is the top and bottom of it as far as my campaign goes. It’s black and white. Vern voted against the Second Amendment. I will never do that. As far as I’m concerned it’s a simple choice,” Hyde said. “If people believe in the Second Amendment, I don’t think they will vote for Buchanan. I fully expect at some point Vern will try to walk his vote back, but I don’t know how he can. He’s going to look daft.”

As always, thanks for your time.

Lee