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Understanding Florida’s open carry laws: What you need to know
SITUATION CLOSELY AND BRING YOU ANY UPDATES DURING THIS NEWSCAST. A COURT RULING TODAY. FLORIDA’S BAN ON OPENLY CARRYING GUNS IS. UNCONSTITUTIONAL. WESH 2 NEWS TONY ATKINS SPOKE WITH PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE, AND A GUN INSTRUCTOR ABOUT WHAT OWNERS SHOULD KNOW. FLORIDA’S OPEN CARRY GUN BAN HAS FORMALLY BEEN STRUCK DOWN. A THREE PANEL JUDGE ANNOUNCED THE DECISION WEDNESDAY IN A CASE OUT OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY. I THINK IT WAS LEGALLY CORRECT RULING. I THINK IT WAS A GOOD RULING BASED ON COMMON SENSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE TEXT OF THE SECOND AMENDMENT, AND I THINK THAT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OBVIOUSLY WON’T APPEAL THE DECISION. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING ABLE TO CARRY MORE FREELY. ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES WHITMIRE ALREADY WEIGHING IN, CALLING IT A BIG WIN FOR THE SECOND AMENDMENT. OTHERS SAY IT’S A BAD MOVE FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. IT’S A DOUBLE WHAMMY AGAINST PUBLIC SAFETY BECAUSE HAVING OPEN CARRY IN A STATE LIKE FLORIDA THAT ALREADY HAS PERMITLESS CARRY MEANS IT WILL NOW HAVE UNRESTRICTED CARRY AND PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO VISIBLY PACK LOADED GUNS ALMOST ANYWHERE IN PUBLIC. IT’S STILL UNCLEAR EXACTLY WHEN THIS WILL GO INTO EFFECT HERE IN THE STATE, AS THERE COULD BE LEGAL CHALLENGES. BUT IN THE MEANTIME, UNTIL THIS GOES INTO EFFECT, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE AVERAGE GUN OWNER HERE IN THE STATE? PEOPLE WOULD STILL NEED TO KNOW THE PLACES THAT THEY CAN CARRY IT, AND THEY CAN’T CARRY IT BECAUSE WE HAVE LOCATIONS PER FEDERAL LAW WHERE YOU STILL PROHIBITED FROM CARRYING. SO YOU STILL WOULD NEED TO BE AWARE OF THAT AND STILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. CHRIS LARSON IS A LONGTIME GUN INSTRUCTOR HERE IN THE STATE. HE SAYS THOUGH IT’S OPEN CARRY, THERE ARE RULES. THAT MEANS THE GUN CAN BE VISIBLE. PLAIN VIEW IN A HOLSTER ON YOUR WAISTBAND, NOT YOU WALKING AROUND WITH A WITH A FIREARM IN YOUR HAND. NO, THAT’S THAT’S NOT THAT. AND THAT IT WOULD BE CONSIDERED YOU’D BE A DANGER TO SOCIETY. RIGHT. ATTORNEY GENERAL JAMES UJIMAA SAYS HE DOESN’T PLAN TO APPEAL THE DECISION, MEANING HE COULD TELL LAW ENFORCEMENT NOT TO ENFORCE IT UNTIL LAWMAKERS OFFICIALLY REPEAL IT.
Understanding Florida’s open carry laws: What you need to know
Updated: 3:35 PM EDT Sep 12, 2025
Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal invalidated the state’s open carry ban Wednesday.This means that individuals in Florida are now allowed to carry firearms openly in public spaces. However, that comes with restrictions. Related: Court strikes down Florida’s open carry banAreas where open carry is illegalAny police, sheriff or highway patrol stationAny detention facility, prison or jail Any courthouse, excluding specific permissions for judgesAny courtroom, with the exception that judges can carry concealed weapons and decide who else may do so Any polling place where votes are cast Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality or special district Any meeting of the Florida Legislature or its committeesAny school, college or professional athletic event that is not firearms-related Any elementary or secondary school facility, including administration buildingsAny career center, vocational training institution or similar facility Any designated area within an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, where that area is primarily devoted to alcohol consumptionAny college or university facility, unless the individual is a registered student, employee or faculty member carrying a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon specifically designed for defensive purposes Inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airportAny location where carrying firearms is explicitly prohibited by federal law The 2025 Florida Statutes specify that any person who knowingly and willfully violates any provision commits a misdemeanor of the second degree.
Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal invalidated the state’s open carry ban Wednesday.
This means that individuals in Florida are now allowed to carry firearms openly in public spaces. However, that comes with restrictions.
Related: Court strikes down Florida’s open carry ban
Areas where open carry is illegal
- Any police, sheriff or highway patrol station
- Any detention facility, prison or jail
- Any courthouse, excluding specific permissions for judges
- Any courtroom, with the exception that judges can carry concealed weapons and decide who else may do so
- Any polling place where votes are cast
- Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality or special district
- Any meeting of the Florida Legislature or its committees
- Any school, college or professional athletic event that is not firearms-related
- Any elementary or secondary school facility, including administration buildings
- Any career center, vocational training institution or similar facility
- Any designated area within an establishment licensed to serve alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, where that area is primarily devoted to alcohol consumption
- Any college or university facility, unless the individual is a registered student, employee or faculty member carrying a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon specifically designed for defensive purposes
- Inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport
- Any location where carrying firearms is explicitly prohibited by federal law
The 2025 Florida Statutes specify that any person who knowingly and willfully violates any provision commits a misdemeanor of the second degree.
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