Jacob Ogles
A court ruling tossing any Florida restrictions on open carry of firearms has sparked a divided reaction among political leaders.
State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, an Orlando Democrat who called for gun restrictions after the Pulse shooting, said the ruling was dangerous.
“This dangerous decision is a double whammy against public safety. Open carry in a state that already has permitless carry means that we would have unrestricted carry where people can visibly pack loaded guns almost anywhere in public without a permit or any of its required training or criminal background checks,” he said.
“That doesn’t make us more safe. And the court is dead wrong. Article 1, sec. 8(a) of the Florida Constitution says ‘the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law.’ That law has kept Floridians safe for decades and now we are going backwards.”
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican candidate for Governor, welcomed the ruling.
The Naples Republican posted: “Thank you to the First District Court of Appeals in Florida for ending the state ban on open carry. This is a great ruling for the 2nd amendment. Shall not be infringed, means shall not be infringed!”
That puts Donalds on the same page as current Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
DeSantis has pushed for the Legislature to pass open carry for years and faced resistance. But a number of GOP lawmakers quickly cheered the ruling.
“The right to self defense is not negotiable,” posted state Rep. Adam Anderson, a Pinellas Republican. “Law abiding Floridians deserve the full protections of the 2nd Amendment and today, the Constitution wins.”
But state Rep. Dan Daley, a Coral Springs Democrat, was not so enthusiastic. He recalled another of Florida’s most infamous mass shootings, the 2018 Parkland attack.
“Hard-line conservatives may celebrate this ruling, but Floridians should not mistake it for progress,” he posted. “As both a responsible gun owner and a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, I know this isn’t about rights, it’s about reckless politics that make our communities less safe.”
