Gov. DeSantis signs "permitless carry" into law
TALLAHASSEE - With the stroke of a pen, Governor DeSantis signed a bill that allows state residents to carry concealed firearms without concealed weapons licenses.
Last week, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 27-13, almost on straight party lines, to pass the measure (HB 543), with Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami, joining Democrats in opposition. The House approved the bill a week earlier.
The new law nixes decades-old licensing requirements. It allows people to carry concealed weapons without having to meet requirements such as firearms training and background screening. People carrying weapons would only be required to have valid identification and be able to "display such identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer."
Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican who sponsored the bill, called it "monumental." Collins said in a tweet, "You don't need a permission slip from the government to exercise your constitutional rights. We are restoring the Second Amendment here in the Free State of Florida."
The measure received support from numerous law-enforcement officials and the National Rifle Association, which called its passage a "historic" win. Democrats and gun-control supporters decried scrapping firearms-training requirements, arguing that would make Floridians less safe.
"Permitless carry increases the risk of both intentional violence and unintentional shootings, with the facts clearly showing an increase of fatalities and gun crimes in the dozens of states that have passed similar laws," Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens, said in a statement Monday.
However, Democrats expressed support for parts of the bill designed to bolster school-safety measures. For example, the measure would provide money for school hardening and includes a provision that would allow private schools to participate in a controversial program that allows armed "guardians" on campuses.