A new poll conducted at the University of North Florida found that over three-fourths of Floridians oppose a proposal currently moving through the state legislative process in Florida to allow for residents otherwise allowed to transport such a firearm to covertly carry certain guns without a permit.
Making those allowances for what is known as concealed carry would eliminate an opportunity for additional oversight, although Republican officials elsewhere, like in Texas and Georgia, enacted similar initiatives. Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis indicated he also supports allowing open carry without a permit, meaning allowing otherwise eligible residents to openly carry guns without any kind of additional permitting — but measures to make that a reality weren’t included in initial versions of legislation on guns for this year’s legislative session. There are already some rules demanding, among other requirements, background checks for purchases from federally licensed gun dealers. In some locales, some private sales have been exempt from these demands.
Relevant to how respondents formulated their answers, the question about allowing concealed carry without a permit was phrased as follows: “A bill has been introduced in the Florida House of Representatives that would allow Floridians to carry a concealed weapon without a license, as long as they meet certain criteria. The new law would not require safety training courses or certificates to carry a concealed weapon. Do you support or oppose the passage of this bill into law?” In other words, the language wasn’t overly partisan. A full 77 percent of overall respondents indicated they were either strongly or somewhat opposed to the idea, and only 21 percent said they were strongly or somewhat in support. Those opposed included 77 percent of the independents and 62 percent of the Republicans, meaning opposition to the idea was widespread.
Also among possibilities for presently unfolding action by Florida’s state House and Senate, both of which Republicans lead, are expansions to the state’s already active restrictions on abortion. Elsewhere, Democrats in positions of state power are moving the other rhetorical direction. In Michigan, legislators recently provided a round of approval to a measure that would impose universal background checks for gun purchases in the state. There weren’t previously rules demanding such safety procedures for private sales of long guns, as they’re known. Illinois also recently joined the list of states imposing a ban on what were termed assault rifles, with that policy move enabled by Democratic victories in the 2022 midterms, including by Governor J.B. Pritzker over a candidate Trump endorsed.
