Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-FL-10) indicated this week that he would support a constitutional carry bill if the Senate were to take up that kind of legislation. Historically, Florida Republicans have been hesitant to take up expanding gun rights during the legislative session.
“If a constitutional carry bill gets to the Senate floor, and it’s heard on the Senate floor, I would vote yes. I would support that on the floor,” Simpson said in an interview with Florida Politics.
In years past, the Florida House usually took up more conservative causes while the Florida Senate approached legislation from a more moderate view. However, a number of former Florida House members have since been elected to the Senate, changing the dynamics and offering a chance for more conservative causes to get time on each chamber floor.
Florida House Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R- District 32) filed legislation in the House that would remove the requirement to have a license to carry a firearm. Last summer, Sabatini lead a gun-rights rally at the Old State Capitol calling out Florida’s Republican legislative leaders for not acting more for gun rights.
“We need them to change their tune to fix this travesty by passing constitutional carry, and also repealing the red flag laws here in the state of Florida,” Sabatini said.
The red flag law Sabatini mentioned is a part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act passed in 2018 and signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott (R). Red flag laws permit law enforcement or family members to petition a state court to have a person’s firearms removed from their possession. Gun rights groups have stood opposed to red flag laws calling them unconstitutional.
Last month, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals announced it scheduled a time to hear a challenge to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas law. The selected time is March 21, 2022.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) also indicated that he would sign a constitutional carry bill if it came across his desk, but his administration is not commenting on any specific legislation just yet.
“The governor cannot comment on the details of legislation that he has not seen yet,” said Christina Pushaw, a spokesperson for DeSantis. “Our office will be monitoring legislation throughout the process and will let you know if we have any updates to share on this topic.”
Should Florida pass constitutional carry, it would become the 21st state in America to do so.
– – –
Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
