TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida House will vote Friday on legislation that would allow Floridians to carry a concealed weapon in public without a license or training.

What You Need To Know

  • The Florida House is expected to vote on a bill Friday that will allow Floridians to carry a concealed  weapon without training or a license

  • If passed, it awaits a final Senate vote   

  • The bill does not change who is eligible to carry a concealed firearm

  • The permitless carry provision is tucked into a broader school safety bill

The permitless carry provision is tucked into a broader school safety bill, which is designed to fortify campuses and expand the school guardian program into private schools.

The proposal is among the more controversial bills of the 2023 Legislative Session. Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislative leaders, meanwhile, are proponents, and supporters of the law say the measure will empower law-abiding citizens and reduce government hassle.

“People don’t have to carry a gun if they don’t want to,” said Lake City Republican Rep. Chuck Brannan, the bill sponsor. “But this is a constitutional authority that people have, and they certainly shouldn’t have to pay for a piece of paper from the government to legally carry a weapon or firearm.”

Under current law, a Floridian must demonstrate proficiency with a firearm in order to carry a concealed gun in public. They must also satisfy several eligibility requirements. 

While the legal and medical eligibility requirements will remain unchanged under the proposed bill, it would remove the testing and training standards, which often come at a cost to applicants. 

Some, meanwhile, fear the bill may endanger Floridians by allowing people with no firearms training to carry concealed weapons in public, and have prompted frequent protests at the Capitol and elsewhere. Members of March for our Lives, a gun safety group, demonstrated Thursday outside the Senate Chamber. 

David Hogg, a Parkland Massacre survivor, attended the rally. He described the permitless carry bill, among other legislation, as “heartbreaking.” 

He and fellow Parkland survivors urged GOP lawmakers to tighten gun laws after the 2018 massacre — and they succeed, at least temporarily. 

“Those legislations are now rolling back those promises,” Hogg said of new gun safety legislation, including a measure lowering the buying age from 21 back to 18. “They lied to those students, they’re breaking those promises and they’re endangering the lives of our children in the state.”

Twenty five other states have permitless carry on the books. Some supporters, though, are displeased, wishing lawmakers would go further and allow citizens to openly carry weapons in public.

A Republican lawmaker on Wednesday withdrew an amendment that would have allowed open carry in Florida, underscoring the mixed positions on the issue among Florida’s majority party.

The measure will appear next before the Florida Senate. If passed, it awaits Gov. Ron DeSantis’ consideration.