ORLANDO, Fla. — Since the constitutional carry law went into effect, firearms dealers at the first Florida Gun Shows event held in Central Florida say they had large success during the weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • HB 543, also known as Constitutional carry, means that anyone in the state of Florida that can legally own a gun can now carry concealed, without the government-issued permit

  • The law was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April 2023 and went into effect July 1

  • The Florida Gun Shows event was the first major gun show held in Central Florida since the law went into effect, with about 700 vendors present

  • Firearms dealers say despite the constitutional carry law, background checks and approvals are still required for gun sales, and a waiting period applies to those without the permit

Constitutional carry has become a hot-button topic since its proposal and then signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April. The law now allows anyone in that state who can legally own a firearm to be able to carry that firearm concealed, without a government-issued permit.

The law struck major debate among pro-gun regulation groups like Moms Demand Action and pro-gun advocates. Lawmakers were also divided on the issue, with the majority of Republicans for the permit-less carry policy and most Democrats opposed.

“The people of Florida reject these policies. We see it and we’ve heard about the polling. Over 70% of Floridians do not agree with permit-less carry, and do not agree with a bill that allows people to carry any gun any place, anywhere, any time,” said Florida Representative Maxwell Frost, (D) out of Orlando.

However, Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin out of Fort Myers shared that the law actually returns a constitutional right to law-abiding citizens.

“This bill attempts to return the God-given rights of humanity. The God-given right to self-defense. The God-given rights that weren’t given to us by government,” he said.

During the gun show, General Manager Robert Geisler said the new law does not change the way guns are legally purchased. While people can buy and conceal carry without a permit, dealers are still required to follow strictly enforced regulations, which dealer Steve Scruggs says is a common misconception when it comes to firearms access.

“Every gun I sell, they call it a gun control act gun, which means any pistol, revolver, rifle or shotgun, I have to run a background,” said Scruggs as he explained in detail the process of selling a firearm.

He owns Southlake Firearms and has only participated in two gun shows. He said with the new law, there has definitely been a peak of interest when it comes to purchasing, however, he says like everything there is still a process.

“You just can’t walk in and throw a thousand dollars down and get a lease at an apartment complex. No, no, no. They background check you, there’s a deposit you know, and this is no different,” said Scruggs.

The permit-less carry law was signed by DeSantis in April 2023, it became effective July 1.