By Mary Webber
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that would allow the residents of the state to carry concealed guns without any permit.
The Republican leader passed the measure in a nonpublic event in his office, with the only people present were bill sponsors, legislative leaders, and gun rights advocates, according to NBC News.
The National Rifle Association was also in attendance at the nonpublic event.
Usually, DeSantis regularly holds news conferences and bill-signing ceremonies, which made the signing of the gun measure notable.
Randy Kozuch, interim executive director of the NRA-ILA, noted that the passage of the measure is a “momentous step” in the Constitutional Carry movement. He added that the right of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is now acknowledged with the passage of the law.
Opponents of the proposal said that it was telling that DeSantis did not have a public-signing ceremony like he usually did for other high-profile bills.
Gun safety group Giffords tweeted that DeSantis signed the measure allowing the carry of concealed guns permitless behind closed doors because he knew “it’s dangerous and unpopular.”
The group was founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who is a gun violence survivor.
The governor’s office released a statement following the signing of the bill, only saying that “Constitutional Carry is in the books.”
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Carrying Concealed Gun in Florida
The newly signed law will be imposed starting July 1. It states that anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida can carry a concealed weapon in public without any training or background check.
Upon signing the measure, a White House spokesperson denounced Ron DeSantis’s move, calling it “shameful.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted in a CBS News report that what DeSantis did was “the opposite of commonsense gun safety.” Jean-Pierre added that Florida residents deserve better, especially since they have paid a “steep price” for state and Congressional inaction on guns.
The White House press secretary cited the shootings in Parkland, Pulse Nightclub, and Pine Hills.
The Florida Agriculture Department and Consumer Services revealed that the state has released more than 2.6 million concealed weapons permits.
Florida Gun Violence
Both Connecticut and Florida lawmakers have been teaming up to launch a bill that would create a gun violence prevention office at the U.S. Department of Justice, as reported by Gray D.C. in March.
The frontrunners of the said legislation are Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost and Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.
Frost said he was in the “lockdown generation” and remembers watching the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut.
The proposed bill would create an advisory council of senior Justice Department officials, including survivors, community violence, intervention providers, public health officials, and the state and local public health department, among many others.
In February, a Florida shooting spree ensued in Orlando, with police officials calling it a “random act of violence.”
The gunman, who was held in custody, killed a nine-year-old girl, a TV reporter, and a woman.
The suspect of the said shooting had a lengthy criminal record since he was 14 years old, according to public records.
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Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Law Allowing Concealed Guns To Be Carried In Florida Without Permits – from Forbes Breaking News
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