Open carry in Florida starts today for gun owners

STATEWIDE — As of Thursday, all legal Florida gun owners will be allowed to carry their weapons openly.

This comes a few weeks after a district court of appeals ruled Florida’s open carry ban was unconstitutional.

For weeks now, various law enforcement agencies have been taking to social media to inform the public on how they will approach this.

Osceola County’s interim Sheriff Christopher Blackmon, for instance, put out a statement saying his deputies would adjust their enforcement practices accordingly. And he reiterated that his priority is the safety of the public.

Although open carry is now legal, Blackmon wants to remind gun owners that they cannot just carry their guns everywhere.

Blackmon says this includes law enforcement and government buildings, schools, private property and businesses.

“You still have to be a responsible gun owner and a gun handler,” he said. “You can’t be threatening somebody with a gun, and you can’t even pull a gun out and wave it or show because again you’re displaying a firearm and that’s not the intent of the law.”

If the laws are not followed, gun owners would face consequences.

When the ruling came down, Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier took to social media, saying the ban was unconstitutional and that his office supported the decision by the three-judge panel First District Court of Appeals.

One organization that encourages people to be responsible gun owners is Orlando Carry.

Lead instructor Luis Feliciano said even though he believes in a person’s right to open carry, he or she must take it upon themselves to get the proper training for their sake and for the safety of others.

Other groups have been against open carry.

“Rather than prioritizing the safety of Floridians, Attorney General Uthmeier handed extremists a win by pushing for more guns in more places, like concerts, polling places, and churches. Open carry escalates tensions, has repeatedly been used by extremists as an intimidation tactic, and introduces ambiguity into moments of crisis that make it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs,” said Nick Suplina, SVP of Law & Policy at Everytown for Gun Safety. “If more guns made us safer, America would be the safest nation in the world. Instead, thanks to weak gun laws and actions like we’ve seen from AG Ultmeier, the United States has 26 times the gun homicide rate of our peers.”

“Attorney General Uthmeier is refusing to defend a critical law, going against the advice of state law enforcement and ultimately, putting our lives at risk,” said Jennifer Massey, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This is a complete dereliction of duty and at the end of the day, our kids, communities and law enforcement will pay the price while we strip a decades-old law from the books meant to help keep us all safe.”