Florida Open Carry Bill Filed in the Senate For 2017 Session

A Florida open carry bill has been filed in the Senate that would make the Sunshine State the 46th state to allow its citizens to legally carry non-concealed handguns in public.

Filed by Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, SB 140 calls for open carry as long as a person also has a valid concealed carry permit. It also does away with a lot of different gun-free zones, including secondary schools, career centers and local government meetings.

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Openly carrying in places like police stations, polling places, jails, courtrooms and bars would still be prohibited.

A similar open carry bill was introduced last year. It passed through the House in a 80-38 vote, but died in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was then chaired by Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami.

Diaz de la Portilla consistently killed pro-gun measures during his time as the head of that committee. A campus carry bill and a measure that would have allowed people without concealed carry permits to carry guns in mandatory emergency evacuations, as well as last year’s open carry bill, all died under his watch.

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Diaz de la Portilla lost his re-election bid last month and Steube now chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, meaning this Florida open carry bill now has a much better chance of passing during the upcoming legislative session, which starts on March 7, 2017.

Open carry is currently illegal in California, Florida, New York, South Carolina and Illinois.