TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – Former Parkland students rallied outside the capitol Thursday as lawmakers inside considered a controversial school safety bill that would loosen Florida’s gun laws by encompassing permitless carry.
In the State House chamber, lawmakers took up HB543, which authorizes the concealed carry of a weapon or firearm without a permit.
It rolls back parts of the gun restrictions put in place after the Parkland shooting – something David Hogg, a former Parkland student condemned saying “it’s deeply insensitive, it’s more than offensive and it’s going to get people killed.”
Republican lawmakers have called this the “removal of the government’s permission slip.”
State Rep. Chuck Brannon emphasized the point on Thursday saying “this bill is a big step to help the average law-abiding citizen to keep them from having to go through the hoops of getting a permit from the government to carry their weapon.”
However, some lawmakers say the bill doesn’t go far enough. State Rep. Mike Beltran filed an amendment to make the measure open carry.
“My understanding of the second amendment is you have the right to keep and bear arms, you have the right to carry those arms, and you have the right to carry those arms openly,” Beltran said.