Starting this Saturday, Florida residents can legally carry a firearm without a permitaccording to the bill approved in March in the Senate.
Floridians can still apply for a concealed-carry permit if they want, but a new state law effective July 1 – something DeSantis called “constitutional carry” – nullifies that requirement.
The term “constitutional carry” refers to the right to carry a firearm, discreetly or openly, thanks to the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the American people the right to keep and bear arms.
Although the relaxation of the conditions makes things easier for gun owners, the law does not eliminate the rules that dictate who can own a firearm and where they can take it.
Residents who must be 21 or older to carry a concealed weapon; they must also have a valid form of identification and be a legal resident of the US.
Some restrictions on the right to carry firearms remain, prohibited for those who were convicted of a felony, dishonorably discharged from the US Armed Forces, who suffer from a physical disability that prevents them from safely handling weapons, involuntarily committed for treatment or convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense.
Nor can they be carried anywhere, since in police stations, prisons, polling stations, school, university or professional sporting events, and in administrative buildings of a primary or secondary school, they are prohibited.
The Senate voted in favor of the H1B 543 in March and DeSantis promptly signed it, making Florida the 26th state not to require a concealed weapons license.
Prior to its acceptance, Floridians did not need permits to purchase a gun, but they did need permits to carry them in public.
the law was approved with 76 votes in favor and 32 against during a legislative session in the state House of Representatives, with a Republican majority.
On that occasion, the chair of the Democratic Party in Florida, Nikki Fried, assured that the law “could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons.”
