By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Two Republican state lawmakers in Florida have filed legislation to roll back restrictive post-Parkland gun control laws which prohibited young adults from legally purchasing firearms from licensed retailers, and so-called “red flag” provisions.
State Rep. Joel Rudman’s House Bill 31, which targets the red flag law, would also allow open carry, which many grassroots activists have wanted for several years, but which also stirs opposition.
Senate Bill 94, sponsored by state Sen. Randy Fine, would repeal the restrictions on gun purchasing by young adults ages 18-20.
The Associated Press is reporting that, despite the state’s Republican supermajority, both pieces of legislation “are expected to face some resistance.”
In the aftermath of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida lawmakers responded by passing the Senate Bill 7026, which was signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, as recalled by First Coast News. The law raised the legal age for purchasing long guns to 21 years because killer Nikolas Cruz was 19 when he purchased the semiautomatic rifle used in the shooting.
While Fine’s Senate bill is a single-page document, Rudman’s House bill spans 32 pages, and it covers a lot of ground, much of it dealing with open carry and concealed carry licensing.
Open carry has been a prickly subject for several years, and not just in Florida. The popular site OpenCarry.org has been active for several years, with individual sub-sites for each of the states, including Florida. The site notes this about the Sunshine State: “Florida is not a traditional open carry state.
Open Carry is lawful while engaged in, or going directly to and from, lawful Target Shooting, Hunting, Fishing, and Camping expeditions. FL Statutes 790.25(3)(h), (j), and (k).”
Article I Section 8of the state constitution reads, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law.”
Additionally, at the Florida forum page, one will find discussions on “constitutional carry” and at least one discussion on open carry dating back to 2015.
TGM reached out to Rep. Rudman’s office but received no response.
TGM also contacted Florida Carry and learned from the organization’s general counsel Eric Friday that Rudman’s bill “does a lot of things to restore Second Amendment rights to Floridians.” He said the legislation would eliminate the carry ban at polling places, allow for carry on college and university campuses, eliminates fees for concealed carry licenses, including fingerprinting fees, and eliminates the ban on open carry.
It also rolls back some of the “red flag” provisions and, according to Friday, eliminates some items currently classified as bump stocks.
The bill also would eliminate the ban on carrying long guns outside of the residence, Friday added.
Florida is one of a few states where open carry is prohibited, except under the specific conditions mentioned above. In other parts of the country, particularly the West, open carry isn’t a major issue.
