Florida Senate panel advances permit-less carry bill

The Senate bill not only removes the state permit requirement but also beefs up a series of school safety measures aimed at preventing school shootings.

By:
| 02/20/2023 07:26 PM EST
Rep. Chuck Brannan (R-Macclenny) listens to debate on his co-sponsored House bill, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla.Phil Sears/AP Photo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate on Monday took its first step toward passing legislation that would remove the requirement that people have state permits to carry concealed firearms, a move that gun rights activists have long sought but for the first time appears to have political momentum.

The Senate bill (SB 150), sponsored by state Sen. Jay Collins (R-Tampa), not only removes the state permit requirement but also beefs up a series of school safety measures aimed at preventing school shootings. During a two-hour hearing of the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, though, lawmakers focused on the permit elements of the bill, which have been by far the most controversial.
“We have a constitutional right to bear arms,” Collins told the committee. “Getting the government permission slip out of the way is the impetus for the bill.”