By Tony Marrero, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
BROOKSVILLE — U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent's new job was supposed to be less dangerous than his last one.
Nugent, R-Spring Hill, had worked in law enforcement nearly 40 years, most of them in Hernando County, where, as sheriff, he was known to make a traffic stop every now and then.
But when the shots rang out at a supermarket parking lot in Tucson, Ariz., last weekend, the country got a startling reminder of the danger that comes with the political spotlight.
It's a wake-up call that has elected officials like Nugent weighing security measures and, in at least a few cases, the value of a concealed weapons permit.
"You know there are individuals out there who could hurt you, but you don't put it in the context of someone hurting someone who's doing their best to ...