TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 543 into law Monday allowing legal gun owners in the state to carry concealed firearms in public without a permit.
According to the Governor’s office, the law “strengthens Floridians’ Second Amendment rights by allowing Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit.”
The law makes Florida the 26th state to enact Constitutional Carry legislation. It takes effect July 1.
“Constitutional Carry is in the books,” DeSantis said at a closed-door signing with members from the National Rifle Association (NRA). The bill was passed by the Florida Senate Thursday with a 27-13 vote.
Under the legislation, gun owners will no longer have to get a permit or pass a background check to be able to carry concealed guns in public. The legislation won’t change the current requirements for purchasing a gun.
However, Democrats – pointing to mass shootings in Florida like the massacre at the 2016 Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the deadly 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland – say the new law will only make the state more dangerous.
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.
In a statement, Senate Democratic Caucus Leader Lauren Book called the legislation a “mistake,” saying in part, “For years, Florida has been the ‘Gunshine State’ – and now we’re emboldening more gun purchases with absolutely no training. If more guns made us safer, we’d be safe by now.”
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 Associated Press contributed to this report.
