Permitless Carry Gun Law Passes Florida House, Moves To Senate

TALLAHASSEE, FL — State lawmakers on Friday passed a bill that would allow Florida gun owners to carry concealed weapons without a license, according to a report by The Tampa Bay Times. The bill now moves to the Florida Senate, where it must pass before heading to the governor's desk.

The legislation passed 76-32, the Times reported.

The bill allows Florida gun owners to carry a concealed weapon without getting a permit, which requires completing a gun safety course, providing fingerprints, undergoing an additional background check, and paying a permit fee, according to WUSF News.

Florida law currently allows residents to buy and own a gun without a permit, but owners must have a concealed weapons permit to carry the gun in public.

Despite attempts by Republican lawmakers, the bill does not allow gun owners to openly carry their firearms in public, according to the Times.

Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled that he expected state lawmakers to pass the permitless carry law during the 2023 legislative session.

"Basically, this was something that I've always supported," DeSantis said during a 2022 news conference in Lee County. "The last two years, it was not necessarily a priority for the legislative leadership. But we've been talking about it, and (House Speaker Paul Renner's) pledged publicly that's moving forward, and it'll be something that will be done in the regular session."

About half of U.S. states allow people to carry a gun without a permit, a movement that's grown popular among conservative states, according to The Associated Press.

Groups opposed to the bill gathered outside the Capitol on Thursday, including Moms Demand Action and March For Our Lives, which formed following the deadly 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

“Too many lawmakers in Florida are allowing gun extremists to have a seat at the table to write the policies that are supposed to protect Floridians, but instead they're protecting gunmakers’ profits. It's shameful," Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, told the Tallahassee Democrat.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.