Holly MatkinTallahassee, FL – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed off on legislation allowing people to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
The Florida State Senate passed the measure 27 to 13 on March 30, FOX News reported.
DeSantis signed off of the new law at his office on Monday during a private meeting attended by legislative leaders, bill sponsors, and gun rights advocates, according to NBC News.
In addition to allowing permitless carry for eligible citizens over the age of 21, the measure ends background checks and firearms training requirements that have been in place for decades, WFTV reported.
The new law also funnels more funding into school security, to include allowing private schools to participate in programs allowing armed guards on campus, according to the news outlet.
“Constitutional Carry is in the books,” DeSantis’ office said in a statement hours after the bill was signed into law, NBC News reported.
National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Interim Executive Director Randy Kozuch heralded the move as a “momentous step in the Constitutional Carry movement.”
Twenty-five other states have also enacted some form of permitless carry legislation, NBC News reported.
“…now the majority of American states recognize the Constitution protects the right for law-abiding Americans to defend themselves outside their homes without fees or permits,” Kozuch said. “The carry movement began decades ago and the NRA has been working to get this legislation passed throughout America. Therefore, today is indeed a day to celebrate.”
The White House lamented Florida’s new law on Monday, calling it a “shameful” decision, NBC News reported.
“It is shameful that so soon after another tragic school shooting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a permitless concealed carry bill behind closed doors, which eliminates the need to get a license to carry a concealed weapon,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented.
The new law will go into effect on July 1, FOX News reported.
