US Now a Majority Permitless Carry Country After DeSantis Signs Gun Rights Law

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law on April 3, allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons without a permit or state-mandated training, a move that passed by the Florida Legislature, making Florida the 26th state in the US to adopt “permitless carry.” The new law will go into effect from July 1, according to pro-Second Amendment groups.

John Velleco, the Executive Vice President of Gun Owners of America, confirmed DeSantis’ signature to the Miami Herald, and an official of the National Rifle Association (NRA) confirmed the measure was signed.

Florida joins other states to pass “permitless carry” bills, making it a majority permitless carry country in the US, while some argue the term “constitutional carry” is more appropriate. The US Concealed Carry Association states that in some states, permitless carry refers to laws that allow people to publicly carry firearms without permits, but requires permits for concealed carry.

However, the state’s Democratic party, who mostly opposed the new law, feels it would lead to an increase in gun-related killings and crimes. Democrat state Senator Shevrin Jones stated that guns kill our children and families, and pressed on without considering the Los Angeles shootings on Monday, April 12th.

Not Far Enough?

In contrast, some pro-Second Amendment groups argued that the new laws don’t go far enough and aren’t true “constitutional carry” measures since people cannot carry guns openly, which is permitted in some other Republican-leaning states. DeSantis supports open carry laws; however, some state leaders and sheriffs don’t support the measure, while a Democrat Orange County Sheriff, John Mina, claimed open carry laws could lead to increased shootings and gun-related deaths statewide. In March, Republican Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said she would only support open carry laws if Florida Sheriffs Association supported them.