Florida GOP Leaders Want to Get Rid of Concealed Weapons Permits

Republican leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, have expressed support for the idea, so the bill should not have a problem passing in a legislature with a GOP a super-majority.

Saying gun owners don’t need a government permission slip to protect their God-given rights, Florida’s House speaker proposed legislation Monday to eliminate concealed weapons permits, a move Democrats argue would make a state with a history of horrific mass shootings less safe.

Republican leaders, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, have expressed support for the idea, so the bill should not have a problem passing in a legislature with a GOP a super-majority.

“What we’re about here today is a universal right that applies to each and every man or woman regardless of race, gender, creed or background,» Speaker Paul Renner said at a news conference.

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Florida Lawmakers Propose ‘Constitutional Carry’ Bill
Florida GOP lawmakers propose to get rid of concealed weapons permits. NBC 6’s Alyssa Hyman reports
Democrats immediately responded that the proposal could lead to more gun violence and accidents. They said that the bill supporters call constitutional carry will allow people to buy guns with no training or background checks.

“Untrained carry is what it is,” said Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who was mayor of Parkland when a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student fatally shot 17 students and faculty. “You are not making our communities, our schools or any places safer with this.”

Renner said law-abiding gun owners will take safety seriously.