With little fanfare, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday allowing individuals to carry a concealed loaded handgun without a permit.
DeSantis signed the law in his office with just bill sponsors, legislative leaders, and gun rights activists, including the National Rifle Association.
It was a significant change for a governor who is known for holding high-profile press conferences and bill-signing ceremonies.
Florida has become the 26th state to enact permitless carry law. The signing comes one week after six people, including three children, were gunned down at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
“This is a momentous step in the Constitutional Carry movement as now the majority of American states recognize the Constitution protects the right for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves outside their homes without fees or permits,” Randy Kozuch, interim executive director of the NRA-ILA, the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association, said in a statement, which included a picture of the event. “The carry movement began decades ago and the NRA has been working to get this legislation passed throughout America. Therefore, today is indeed a day to celebrate.”
Opponents of the proposal have said that it will increase gun violence and that it was telling that DeSantis did not hold a public-signing ceremony like he has done in the past for other high-profile bills.
“Governor DeSantis just signed permitless carry into law behind closed doors, probably because he knows it’s dangerous and unpopular,” tweeted Giffords, a gun safety group founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who is a gun violence survivor.
The group spent more than $125,000 on a media campaign opposing the bill.
DeSantis’ office issued a brief statement hours after the bill was signed, saying only that “Constitutional Carry is in the books.”
Even as DeSantis promoted the concept ahead of his likely presidential run, public polls on the issue revealed that it was widely unpopular with both major parties. A study conducted by the University of North Florida last month found that 77% of the 1,492 respondents were somewhat or strongly opposed to the permitless carry law, including 62% of Republicans.
“Not only is there bipartisan opposition to this ‘constitutional carry’ law, but the majority (67%) say they strongly oppose the bill,” Michael Binder, director of the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Institute, stated when the poll was released. “Even among Republicans, the majority are opposed to carrying guns without a permission.”
You may also check some other trending articles here:-
- Disney Bob Iger Responds To Florida’s Actions Against Company
- Body of Missing Florida 2-Year-Old Toddler Found in Alligator’s Mouth
The White House also stepped in on Monday, calling DeSantis’ actions “shameful.”
“It is shameful that so soon after another tragic school shooting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a permitless concealed carry bill behind closed doors, which eliminates the need to get a license to carry a concealed weapon,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The proposal, which passed the state House and Senate primarily on party lines, received opposition from both parties. While Democrats characterized the proposal as hazardous and warned it would increase gun violence, Second Amendment supporters urged lawmakers to include a provision allowing people to openly carry firearms.
DeSantis indicated he would support open-carry legislation, but he did not push it as hard as he has on other issues. During the bill’s lengthy committee hearings, Second Amendment groups lined up and chastised Republican lawmakers for not including the open-carry clause, a criticism DeSantis did not escape.
“If the governor can’t persuade a very sympathetic Legislature to add open carry to this law, how do we think he’ll get Congress to act on anything if he becomes president?” Last month, open-carry enthusiast Matt Collins testified before a Florida Senate committee. “If open carry is not included in this law, it demonstrates Gov. DeSantis’ political incapacity.”
