Nikki Fried suspends seven more concealed carry permits of Jan. 6 insurrections

Nikki Fried.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has suspended the concealed carry weapon permits of seven additional Floridians arrested for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The suspensions, which Fried’s office announced Friday, bring the total number of Florida residents whose concealed permits were suspended for insurrection last year to 35. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) suspended 22 licenses in July and six more in October.

“Today, the announcement of seven additional license suspensions over the past six months is a testament to our commitment to upholding our duty to suspend licenses of dangerous individuals, protecting our fellow Floridians and the integrity of our licensing program,” Fried said in a statement.

“We will continue to enact further suspensions and revocations of licenses as new charges and sentences are issued as required by law.”

The FDACS Division of Licensing, which administers Florida’s concealed weapon licensing program, among other duties, is legally required to follow through on the suspension of individuals charged with felonies and other disqualifying offenses.

Once a disqualifying judgment is rendered in a case, the FDACS is required to revoke a license.

The statue states: “The department shall, upon notification by a law enforcement agency, a court, or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and subsequent written verification, suspend a license or the processing of an application for a license if the licensee or applicant is arrested or formally charged with a crime that would disqualify such person from having a license under this section, until final disposition of the case.”

“On Jan. 6, we all watched in shock and horror as treasonous individuals attempted to overturn a legitimate election, storming the U.S. Capitol and attacking the core of our democracy,” Fried said.

“As law enforcement and our judicial system continue working to bring these insurrectionists to justice, my department’s work also continues to hold those involved accountable by using our lawful authority and carrying out our legal duty to suspend the licenses of anyone charged with disqualifying offense.”

Fried, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, has had a history of friction with gun rights groups. In December 2019, she filed a brief supporting a challenge to a state law preempting local gun regulation. The National Rifle Association responded with a memo later that month accusing her of “self-important arrogance.”

More recently, she’s fought on behalf of gun owners. The FDACS earlier this month sued President Joe Biden’s administration over a federal rule banning gun ownership for cannabis users, even those with medical use licenses.

“Denying the Second Amendment rights of medical marijuana users,” she said, “is not about safety.”

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Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a link to the Florida statute governing FDACS license suspension responsibilities and include the relevant passage from that statute.