Florida should have the most gun-friendly laws in the country. They've got a Republican supermajority in the legislature and a very pro-Second Amendment governor, at least for one more year. Gun rights organizations and pro-gun legislators should have been about to run roughshod over their opposition and made the state an oasis for firearms rights.
Instead, they've got some absolutely ridiculous laws on the books that prevent legal adults from exercising their rights at all, a red flag law, and a host of other weird things that need to go away.
On the flip side, you still have anti-gunners who saw what happened after Parkland, when the state enacted some of those ridiculous gun laws, and think they can make it happen again.
Either way, though, it's clear that guns will be a key issue in the Sunshine State in 2026.
With the start of session less than two weeks away, the pressure is on for Florida lawmakers to “clean up” the state’s gun laws.
For years, gun policy has been a common clash for state lawmakers, but next session may mark a turning point following the deadly mass shooting at Florida State University and mounting pressure surrounding open carry.For the first time in decades, people in Florida can now openly carry guns, a decision that has state leaders acknowledging gaps and inconsistencies.
“It’s going to have to be addressed and taken out of statute, and an open carry law has got to be put back in place,” said Florida’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier.Following the recent court ruling that struck down the state’s open carry ban, Uthmeier and sheriffs like Grady Judd have continued to urge lawmakers to refine the state’s current gun laws.
The court decision that made open carry legal also kind of killed gun-free zones in the state. I don't see this as a bad thing, mind you, but a lot of people do. To be fair, there are some areas where most think guns shouldn't be permitted, such as courthouses. I don't buy that, personally, but since I don't get a vote in Florida, I'll just have to wait and see what they do.
As it stands, there are already a number of bills introduced, both pro-Second Amendment and anti-gun.
For example, the legislature is going to try to repeal the post-Parkland law that keeps legal adults under 21 from buying long guns at all, which they've come close enough to passing in recent years, but have been stymied by a handful of Republicans who championed that law and were well-placed to prevent it from getting a full vote.
Another, though, wants to mandate how firearms and ammunition are stored in people's personal vehicles.
In other words, some are good, and some suck. About par for the course, really.
But I find it amusing that the author of the above piece seems to think that the FSU shooting will change anything at all. After all, this was a legal adult who stole a handgun from his mother, went onto a gun-free zone, and opened fire. No one was in a position to stop him because of gun control laws, but the author thinks there's a chance for more gun control?
No, I doubt it.
Parkland was an isolated incident, one that evoked a lot of emotion in the state. FSU, while also tragic, didn't have that impact.
Florida is going to be an interesting state to watch this year, as it tends to be every year lately.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to lie about gun owners and the Second Amendment.
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