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Senate Bill Would Allow Openly Carrying Guns
December 10, 2016
Senate Judiciary Chairman Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, introduced a controversial measure Friday that would allow the more than 1.67 million Floridians with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry handguns.
Steube’s bill (SB 140), which is filed for the 2017 legislative session, also would expand the places where people with concealed-weapons licenses are allowed to carry guns.
It would allow them to be armed at legislative meetings; local government meetings; elementary and secondary schools; airport passenger terminals; and college and university campuses. License holders would still be prohibited from carrying weapons at locations such as police stations, jails, courtrooms, polling places and most bars.
During the 2016 session, the open-carry measure was approved 80-38 in the House but failed to advance through the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was chaired by former Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami. Diaz de la Portilla lost a re-election bid in November.
A bill that would have allowed people with concealed-weapons licenses to carry guns on university and college campuses also died in the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 2016 session. This week, Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, reintroduced a House version of the campus-carry measure (HB 6005) for the 2017 session. Also, Rep. Jake Raburn, R-Lithia, has proposed a bill (HB 6001) that would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to bring guns into the passenger terminals of airports.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
11 Responses to “Senate Bill Would Allow Openly Carrying Guns”
fss 790.053 It is not a violation of this section for a person licensed to carry a concealed firearm as provided in s. 790.06(1), and who is lawfully carrying a firearm in a concealed manner, to briefly and openly display the firearm to the ordinary sight of another person, unless the firearm is intentionally displayed in an angry or threatening manner, not in necessary self-defense. Rapier on December 11th, 2016 7:36 am
I HOPE YOU SEE THIS…it is NOT illegal for inadvertent and accidental exposure of a firearm. And any LEO saying differently must ALSO be “alleging” an attempt to “display the firearm in a threatening or angry manner–not lawful self-defense or defense of others”…if you choose to conceal carry you MUST know the law…better than LEO’s and liberal private citizens’….KNOW WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO…before you walk out your front door…bill
I think it’s a good thing, and a personal choice. I have carried concealed for many years, and don’t wish to carry openly. I don’t want to be the immediate target of the bad guys, and it gives me more choice in how to respond to a situation. By the same token, seeing armed customers in a 7/11 might make a thief think twice.
Open carry could definitely discourage an attacker, and cause him to look for a weaker victim, also if you have to use your weapon, you can get it in the fight a second faster than if carrying iwb. In the end I hope we carry in more places. And a person with training and a permit should be allowed to carry open or concealed.
I’m on the fence about this issue. I’d rather be anonymous and have people suspect that I’m carrying rather than open carry and remove their doubt. I don’t mind seeing someone’s sidearm in public, but I have to think it’s a bit foolish. That said… I guess if you want to tote the gun in public and you know how to behave while carrying, it’s really your right according to the Constitution.
Open carry isn’t something I would do as concealed carry gives me the element of surprise. That said open carry would allow me to show a friend what I was carrying or them to do the same without fear of going to jail.
The vast majority of folks with a carry permit do not want anyone to know that they are carrying, relying on suprise as part of their defense, a major problem exists in the concealed carry law in FL, accidental exposure. Example, you arrive home from being out, bend over to pick up the paper, your jecket rides up and catches over the grip of the handgun. Now the handgun is exposed, a neighbor sees it and calls the police, a legal carry of a concealed firearm now becomes an illegal exposure, open carry, due to an unententional movement of clotting. This event is just one type of event that would be addressed in the open carry bill, inadvertent exposure. The antis at any level, across this state have tried to use this opening in the concealed carry law to attack the law itself, they simply object to you being able to defend yourself and have since the concealed carry law was concieved. When you have 30 seconds to save yourself from a vicious criminal a cop is only 30 minutes away.
All good Anne, we don’t want your business anyway. You’d prolly crap a rock if you found out how many people were conceal carrying around you EVERY DAY. Go back to your hole
Doesn’t seem to have hurt Texas any.
This needs to pass. There are many states that already allow open carry and they are not having any of the issues liberals think will happen. The liberals and anti-gun people are so terrified of open carry, but they neglect to acknowledge that their fears have not become reality in the dozen or so states that already allow open carry. Also, many so called “pro-gun” people seem to think that every convenience store robber is going to go out of their way to shoot any open carrier they see. This problem is also NOT occurring in open carry states. People need to put their fear away and embrace true Liberty.
Do you see anyone patting their gun now? There are guns all around you when you go shopping now, you just can’t see them.
This should clear the all businesses of all customers not carrying a gun. There are way too many cocky people out there. Like cell-phones, they will annoy others simply by patting their guns. Shop on-line, here I come.