By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Special to Liberty Park Press
Every morning as I don my Staccato 9mm and my Microtech automatic knife without any permits or paperwork cluttering my wallet, I realize that these freedoms would never have taken place without the honest pro-gun leadership of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Law-abiding Floridians no longer need to apply in writing or pay a state fee to carry a concealed weapon.
Gov. DeSantis saw to that.
For the state’s millions of gun owners, our 46-year-old, soon-to-be-former governor has been a true friend.
Unfortunately, DeSantis is term-limited and barred from running again. Fortunately, during his terms in office, the good governor gave gun owners one heck of a good ride.
Let’s take a close look at his pro-gun accomplishments.
Permitless concealed carry
On April 3, 2023, in Florida’s state capitol of Tallahassee, Gov. DeSantis signed House Bill (HB) 543, which strengthened Floridians’ Second Amendment rights by allowing concealed weapons to be carried without a state permit.
Concealed-carry permits are still available, but are no longer required.
“Constitutional Carry is in the books,” Desantis said at the time.
Florida became the 26th state to enact concealed-carry legislation. However, Open Carry remains prohibited. According to state law, Floridians may only carry an exposed handgun “while traveling to or from fishing, camping, hunting or target shooting.”
“Would be great to see it hit my desk — Florida needs to join the overwhelming majority of states and protect this right,” DeSantis posted about Open Carry on X.
DeSantis has promised he would change this and sign Open Carry legislation; however, the state’s Republican-led legislature has never given him a bill to sign, and they have never fully explained why.
Some believe tourism – Disney and the beaches – as well as the powerful Florida Sheriffs Association could be the reasons why millions of Floridians do not yet enjoy all of their Second Amendment rights.
Florida State Guard
In December 2021, while Joe Biden occupied the White House, DeSantis created the Florida State Guard, a 200-member volunteer paramilitary force that answered to him, not Joe Biden.
The Florida State Guard assists the Florida National Guard in state emergencies.
DeSantis noted that the Florida State Guard was not “encumbered by the federal government,” and that the unit would give him “the flexibility and the ability needed to respond to events in our state in the most effective way possible.”
Florida, he pointed out, has always been one of the most pro-military and veteran-friendly states.
“We are proud of our veterans and active-duty military members and proud of what our communities do to support them,” DeSantis said in a press release. “Florida is one of the most veteran friendly states and I think there are very few places that you would rather be on duty than in the state of Florida. As a veteran, I really appreciate what everyone who wears the uniform does in our state and am excited about these proposals – they will go a long way and have a meaningful impact. In Florida, we are going to continue our momentum of supporting our military, supporting our veterans and being good stewards of our military installations.”
Other 2A actions
Last May, DeSantis ended a confusing portion of state law that automatically imposed reprehensible firearm restrictions during a local state of emergency.
Previously, during an “emergency arising from a threat of violence or public disorder,” any sale of firearms or ammunition became illegal. Also, only law enforcement or the military were allowed to possess firearms in a public place.
DeSantis ended all of this foolishness with a signature.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Monique Miller, (R-Palm Bay), said in February, “By removing these automatic restrictions, the bill ensures that lawful gun owners are not preemptively barred from exercising their Second Amendment rights during times of crisis.”
Other pro-gun legislation signed by DeSantis was also needed.
He signed a bill that created a Second Amendment tax holiday for the state, which will run from September 8 to December 31, and will include firearms, ammunition as well as other outdoor items.
The move is expected to save Florida gun buyers up to $8 million.
DeSantis also signed multiple bills related to school safety. One law now requires local law enforcement to attend on-campus active shooter drills.
SF-tabbed Lt. Gov.
Just this week, DeSantis swore in Republican state Senator Jay Collins, (R-Tampa), to serve as Florida’s lieutenant governor.
DeSantis made the announcement at the Tampa Green Beret Association.
“What I was looking for is someone that can be lieutenant governor that will help us deliver more wins for the people of Florida – and then also that is capable of serving and leading as governor, if that need were ever to arise,” DeSantis said.
Collins was an astounding pick.
He served as an Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant, an 18-Delta, until he lost a leg in Afghanistan. However, he came back after being wounded and served five more years as a fully deployable Green Beret using a prosthetic leg.
Collins, too, has a solid Second Amendment record. He has sponsored several gun-friendly bills. He targeted anti-gun legislation passed in Florida after the 2018 Parkland school shooting, and sought to lower the state’s minimum firearm purchase age back to 18.
Red Flag Law opposition
Florida’s Red Flag law, known officially as the Extreme Risk Protection Order, or ERPO, clearly violates the Second Amendment.
The law allows law enforcement or a gun owner’s family to petition a court to allow law enforcement to enter a home and remove guns from someone accused of being a “danger to themselves or others.”
It only allows gun owners to seek return of their property after their rights have been violated.
DeSantis has tried to get the law overturned.
“If you look at this red flag law that was passed, they can go in and say, ‘this person’s a danger, they should have their firearms taken away,’ which is property in addition to being something connected with a constitutional right,” DeSantis said in March. “The burden shifts where you have to prove to a court that you are not a menace or a threat. That’s not the way due process works.”
Florida’s red flag legislation was signed into law by former Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who is now a United States Senator.
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