Constitutional Carry Is Coming To Florida

The Florida House is about to take up permit-free concealed carry, aka Constitutional Carry. Given that Republicans hold majorities in the House and Senate and that Governor DeSantis has said that he’ll sign the bill if it comes to him, there’s a good chance that the need to get a permit in order to carry a defensive sidearm will go away.

So what does that mean? 

Well, that all depends on what the final bill looks like. I lived in Arizona when they switched to Constitutional Carry, and the only thing I noticed was that it put the “trash for cash” training hucksters out of business. Because every law-abiding person could, in theory, carry a gun without needing  to take a class, the demand for low-end “quickie” concealed carry classes dried up overnight. However, the desire for competency remained, and people who understood they needed more than just a slip of paper to stay safe went to the trouble of getting a permit. 

This also applies to people who want to carry in other states besides Florida. Our CCW license is honored all across the country, so getting your permit is still a good idea. 

The bottom line is, if you do find yourself in a lethal force encounter, you want to be able to show the prosecutor and any potential jury that you did things the right way from the very start. You want to establish in their minds that you were the good guy, and your use of lethal force was reasonable, measured and justified. Going the extra mile and getting a concealed carry permit, even when one isn’t needed, is just one more thing that will show you did things the right way