The surge of momentum towards recognizing the liberties afforded to every law-abiding citizen continues to gather strength across the nation.
The National Rifle Association applauded Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing the bill into law and tipping the nation towards the Second Amendment. In a Monday press release, the governor simply declared, “Constitutional Carry is in the books.”
NRA-ILA Interim Executive Director Randy Kozuch expressed the organization’s satisfaction to Fox News Digital.
“The NRA applauds Florida for becoming the 26th state to adopt the vital Constitutional Carry legislation. This NRA-spearheaded initiative empowers Floridians to exercise their Second Amendment rights without undue bureaucratic barriers, affirming the fundamental right to self defense.”
Just to the north, Georgia became the 25th state with constitutional carry on the books when Gov. Brian Kemp signed the measure into law almost a year ago.
Law-abiding Florida citizens 21 years of age and older no longer need the state’s permission and are not required to pay a fee to exercise their constitutional freedoms.
This came after the Florida Senate by an overwhelming 27 to 13 margin last week approved the constitutional carry bill. The state joined the ranks of 25 others that already exercised a “permitless” system, pushing the country’s balance towards the right to keep and bear arms.
According to the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), the new statute will take effect on July 1.
It does not change who is legally eligible to possess a firearm and concealed carry. The state will also continue to issue concealed carry permits to those Floridians who want to exercise reciprocity with other states.
FPC’s Vice President of Programs, Richard Thomson, celebrated the removal of the formerly necessary “permission slip” to fully exercise fundamental rights. “We look forward to the day when we can restore that right across the remaining 24 states.”
According to the Associated Press, almost three million Floridians have a concealed weapons permit. The outlet noted that the background check and three-day waiting period will still be mandatory to buy a gun from a licensed dealer.
However, the AP observed they are not required for transactions between private individuals or to exchange firearms.
Gun rights advocates in the Florida legislature celebrated the move. State Rep. Chuck Brannan said earlier that “this bill is a big step, a big step to help the average law-abiding citizen, to keep them from having to go through the hoops of getting a permit from the government to carry their weapon.”
Anti-gun forces, of course, criticized the bill’s signing and warned of blood flowing in the streets. This dire prediction has been made before but failed to materialize. That’s because the measure only affects the actions of those who respect the law.
After all, violent criminals certainly were not waiting on the state’s permission to carry a weapon without a permit.
Florida’s swing towards individual liberties is to be applauded, and it is a positive for gun rights advocates to know that most of this nation now respects basic constitutional freedoms. This momentum should continue as more Americans awaken to the reality that they are their own first line of defense in these troubled times.
As for Second Amendment critics, their arguments ring hollow in the face of the fundamental right to self-defense. More and more, law-abiding citizens choose to be properly prepared to protect life and property. This is the true definition of freedom, and Florida took another important step away from government tyranny.
