Gov. DeSantis ratifies bill enabling Floridians to carry concealed guns without a permit

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ratified legislation Monday enabling Floridians over the age of 21 to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit, noting, "Constitutional carry is in the books."

Florida is, as a result, the 26th state in the union not to require residents to acquire a permit or pay additional fees to exercise their constitutional right to pack heat outside their homes.

While the law spares residents from having to acquire a permit, law-abiding gun carriers will nevertheless be required to carry valid IDs with them and undergo a background check when purchasing a gun from a licensed dealer. Furthermore, this legislation will not affect those prohibited under state or federal law from possessing a gun, who will continue to be barred from possessing or carrying firearms.

Randy Kozuch, interim executive director of the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action, said in a statement, "This is a momentous step in the Constitutional Carry movement as now the majority of American states recognize the Constitution protects the right for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves outside their homes without fees or permits."

Kozuch told 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."

On a state-by-state basis, the United States now majoritively supports the constitutional carry of firearms.

WKMG reported that supporters of the bill called it a "public safety measure."

According to the Associated Press, nearly 3 million Floridians presently have a concealed weapons permit.

"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," said bill sponsor and state Rep. Chuck Brannan (R).

Florida Rep. John Synder said, "I trust the people of the great state of Florida a whole lot more than I trust the government."

After sending the bill to the Senate, House Speaker Paul Renner (R) said, "I don’t know if we’ll have all of the governor’s priorities done by Holy Week (week 5 of a nine-week session) but we’re going to have it done."

The Florida Senate voted along party lines (27 to 13) in favor of the Second Amendment-affirming legislation, which went to DeSantis' desk Monday morning.

The law goes into effect on July 1.

The Tallahassee Democrat indicated that DeSantis has no intention of slowing down in the way of advancing his anti-woke, pro-freedom agenda. He is poised to ratify HB 3, whereby Florida will cease to do business with financial institutions that invest based on ESG criteria.

In the second half of the legislative session, Florida Republicans will endeavor to pass SB 300, which would ban abortion at six weeks of pregnancy, and SB 1320, titled "Child Protection in Public Schools," whereby instruction on transsexual and LGBT issues will be prohibited until grade nine at the earliest.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!