Florida Becomes 26th State To Adopt Permitless Carry Law
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law on Monday allowing citizens to conceal carry a firearm in public without a permit. The law is set to go into effect on July 1, 2023.
The decision to enact permitless carry makes Florida the 26th state to do so, meaning that the majority of U.S. states now recognize constitutional carry.
Permitless carry refers to the legal right to carry a firearm in public without requiring a government-issued permit or license. This means that individuals who are legally allowed to own a firearm can carry it openly or concealed. The Florida law is still more restrictive than other states which have enacted constitutional carry measures and will only allow concealed permitless carry, as opposed to allowing the permitless open carry or concealed carry of a firearm.
The term “constitutional carry” was derived from the argument that the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms, and any requirement for a permit or license infringes on that inherent right.
“A constitutional right should not require a permission slip from the government.”
Governor Ron DeSantis
States have been quickly enacting permitless carry since the Supreme Court ruling of District of Columbia v. Heller in 2008. The court ruling determined that the Second Amendment directly protects an individual’s right to possess a firearm for lawful purposes.
In 2010, only three states gave citizens constitutional carry rights, but as crime continues to rise across the country, more states are giving citizens the right to defend themselves in public. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 BLM riots that created a sense of fear and uncertainty in public, 10 states have adopted constitutional carry measures.
Florida’s decision to enact constitutional carry is a huge win for Second Amendment advocates in the state. Hopefully, other states will follow suit and adopt similar policies, thus allowing citizens to defend themselves and their families.
