Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill Governor Ron DeSantis signed Monday, giving the governor another legislative victory as he prepares a campaign for president.
The governor signed the bill in a private ceremony in his office. His only immediate public comment was, “Constitutional Carry is in the books,” which he said in a three-paragraph news release.
The new law will allow anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida to carry one without a permit. It means training and a background check will not be required to carry concealed guns in public. It takes effect July 1.
A concealed weapon is any deadly weapon, including a firearm, carried on or about a person hidden from the ordinary view of another person.
Nearly 3 million Floridians have a concealed weapons permit. While a background check and three-day waiting period will still be required to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer, they are not required for private transactions or exchanges of weapons.
DeSantis has said he thinks Florida should go even further and allow people to openly carry guns. While some lawmakers have pushed for open carry, it doesn’t appear the Legislature will pass such legislation this session.
The bill signing comes five years after then-Governor Rick Scott signed a bill creating gun restrictions after 17 students and faculty were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Under DeSantis, momentum has swung back toward expanding gun rights rather than placing limits on them, which has earned him praise from gun rights advocates.
“Government will not get in the way of law-abiding Americans who want to defend themselves and their families,” Senator Jay Collins, who sponsored the bill, said in a news release.
The bill passing comes one week after six people were killed in a Nashville school shooting.
