The Florida Legislature passed, and the governor has signed, new laws that will allow Floridians eligible to possess guns to carry them concealed without obtaining a permit starting later this year.
House Bill 543, and corresponding Senate Bill; 150, allow Florida adults to carry lawfullyowned concealed guns in public without a permit and without training. The bills moved swiftly through both chambers of the Legislature, and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law Monday, April 3. It goes into effect July 1, at which time concealed carry permits will no longer be required.
Under the new law, the firearm still has to be concealed and secured — it does not go as far as to allow “open carry” — and while those who choose to carry will not need a permit, they’ll need to carry something else — a valid ID.
Local law enforcement officials have commented on the new legislation, focusing on the safety of the public, and officers on patrol.
“While we are still conducting our review of the bill, my paramount concern will always be for the safety of our Officers,” Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said. “I fear their jobs will become more difficult now. I will always prefer gun safety training to those who own firearms before any use.”
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said safety will be in the hands of gun owners.
“Anyone who owns or possesses a firearm needs to be as safe as possible. Permits do not make that happen; people make that happen,” he said. “We are keeping our deputies up to speed on the legislation and will be ready when it becomes effective.”
St. Cloud Police Chief Doug Goerke said he believes the classes part of the permit process are an effective tool in safety.
“We could see more encounters where we see and ask if someone is carrying a firearm,” he said. “Good citizens won’t have that challenge, they’ll know we’ll ask. But I believe it will lead to us encountering more people carrying firearms. It’s hard to tell until we start seeing the data; we will see those folks carry where they’re not supposed to.”
The White House wasn’t so pensive on the bill, calling it, “The opposite of commonsense gun safety.”
“The people of Florida — who have paid a steep price for state and Congressional inaction on guns from Parkland to Pulse Nightclub to Pine Hills — deserve better,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Under Florida’s current concealed-carry application process, people must demonstrate “competence” by completing a firearms training course that was amended in 2016 to include firing a gun in front of an instructor. The new law removes the training requirement to carry a concealed weapon, and firearms will still not be allowed into airports, courthouses and other government buildings.
Floridians would still be able to get concealed-carry permits, as many states allow Floridians to use that permit as a license in those states.
The bill also addressed a couple school safety issues, such as expanding the school guardian program put in place in the wake of the 2018 Parkland Stoneman Douglas deadly school shooting to private schools — and allows school employees to carry concealed firearms on campuses. The bill also created a Florida Safe Schools Canine Program of firearms-detecting dogs to be on campuses of participating schools.
“We could see more encounters where we see and ask if someone is carrying a firearm . . .”
— ST. CLOUD POLICE CHIEF DOUG GOERKE
