Florida will soon be a permitless carry state. So, what are people saying about that?
Starting in July, Floridians can carry guns without a permit or training.
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed the bill into law despite disagreement on both sides of the gun debate. Gun safety advocates criticized the measure, arguing that allowing people to carry concealed guns in public without training and removing an additional background check will make the public less safe.
READ MORE: DeSantis signs permitless carry into law despite criticism from both sides of gun debate
Here’s how Florida politicians, officials, advocates and social media users have reacted to the news.
Fred Guttenberg
Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, criticized the governor’s decision.
“I have said often @GovRonDeSantis is a fraud & weak. This morning without announcement, he signed permitless carry. He was afraid for Floridians to watch. Ron, your weakness won’t make you less responsible. The inevitable next shooting because of this will be because of you.”
Christina Pushaw
Christina Pushaw, a communications person for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his campaign, said:
“Can’t wait to see how Ruth Ben Ghiat and other fascist experts who are always screaming that Governor DeSantis is a dictator, spin this… Some Floridians have lived in dictatorships before. One feature of dictatorships: They don’t let regular citizens carry guns without permits.”
Dan Daley
Rep. Dan Daley, D-Sunrise, shared his take on Twitter, focusing his remarks on the governor’s decision to sign the bill behind closed doors.
“This morning, Governor DeSantis quietly, unceremoniously, and with zero pomp and circumstance, signed the Permitless Carry bill into law. I can’t say I’m surprised by the way it was done considering even the Governor must know how wildly unpopular this bill is with Floridians. We, as a state, are now less safe and have the Governor and Republicans in Tallahassee to thank.”
Byron Donalds
U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican, celebrated the new law on Twitter.
“Florida is now a constitutional carry state, affirming our right to self-defense and honoring our inalienable right to keep and bear arms.”
Social media users
Thousands of people took to Twitter on Monday to express their thoughts on the new bill — and its possible impact in Florida. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
This story was originally published April 3, 2023 at 7:40 PM.
