HB 103, 2022 Constitutional Carry Bill (Rep. Anthoni Sabatini)

We support Constitutional Carry of a handguns, also know as Permitless Carry.  Permitless Carry is simply what it sounds like, if you are not specifically prohibited from carrying a firearm then you may conceal carry a handgun without a permit.

In the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights it says:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and BEAR Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Some states, including Florida, choose to ignore the “bear arms” part and look at this as a privilege to spoon out. The definition of the word “bear”- other than being a large, cute, and dangerous mammal – is to “carry the weight of.”  Everyone has a right to CARRY a weapon for self-defense and this extends beyond the footprint of your home.  If you are of legal age and have not shown a propensity towards violence (e.g. being a convicted violent felon, a fugitive from justice, committed by court for mental illness, or a domestic abuser), then there should be nothing prohibiting you from carrying a firearm to protect yourself and family. 

Though Florida’s “shall issue” concealed carry permits are a significant improvement over “may issue” permits, the process of getting a permit can be a roadblock for many who actually need it.  Stalkers, ex-lovers,  former employees, rioters, and other violent individuals won’t wait the months it takes you to get a carry permit.  You have to take a class, get a passport picture, wait up to 60 days for an appointment to complete the paperwork and get finger printed, then another 55 days to get you permit back from the Tallahassee.  This was the situation faced by many Florida gun owners in the chaos of 2020 where a doubling of permit requests to the state and local governments caused months long delays in processing (1).  

Finally, fear that loosening carry restrictions will lead to more gun crimes and violence is unfound.  A study of 30 years of data from the US Department of Justice and Center for Disease Control and Prevention found no increase in violent crime associated with states that enacted less restrictive concealed-carry legislation (2).  What gun control advocates ignore is that someone who is willing to commit violent crime does not care if it is illegal to carry, while law abiding citizens do and they are not the ones who are normally committing the crimes.