The governor of Florida, Republican Ron DeSantis, today signed the law that allows the possession of a firearm without the need for a permit from that US state, a measure strongly criticized by Democrats.
This law, passed by the state Senate on March 30, will take effect on July 1, and Florida will become the 26th US state to enact such a measure.
With 27 votes in favor and 13 against, the Senate (upper house) of Florida, with a Republican majority like the Chamber of Deputies (lower house) of the State, approved this bill that its supporters called “public safety”.
As of the law’s effective date, people who carry concealed weapons in public will not need training or background checks to do so.
“You do not need a permit from the government to exercise your Second Amendment rights. [da Constituição]”, stressed last week DeSantis, who should make his presidential candidacy official in the coming months.
“Gun ownership is a constitutional issue that is on the books,” DeSantis said in a statement after the law was signed today.
In April of last year, DeSantis took his conservative agenda a step further, pledging to sign a bill that would allow state residents to own a firearm without a permit, a circumstance he called “constitutional possession.”
The term “constitutional carry” refers to the right to carry a firearm in public, discreetly or simply, thanks to the Second Amendment to the Constitution, which gives the American people the right to keep and bear arms.
Currently, Florida residents do not need a license to purchase a gun, but they do need a permit to possess it in public, and this law eliminates that requirement.
In Florida, according to data broadcast by NBC6 television, almost 3 million people can carry weapons, in a state with more than 21 million inhabitants according to the most recent census.
Democrats have argued that Florida, a state that has seen horrific mass shootings like the Parkland High School shooting in 2018 or the Pulse nightclub massacre in 2016, will become even more dangerous.
“The Florida Republicans did exactly what Ron DeSantis asked in their shameful effort to catapult their national image and win MAGA. [‘Make America Great Again’, icónico ‘slogan’ de campanha de Donald Trump que significa “Tornar a América Grande de Novo”]stressed the leader of the Florida Democratic Party, Nikki Fried, after the approval of the bill.
For Fried, “an unauthorized carry law could make it easier for criminals to carry weapons.”
Source: TSF
