In an interview with radio host Bob Rose on Nov. 4, Rose brought up his preference for open carry, the wearing or carrying of a firearm in a visible manner, over other potential legislative initiatives, specifically referencing Amendment 3 – a recently proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana that failed to pass.
"I'd much rather have open carry than weed, but that's just me, governor," Rose said. In response, DeSantis hinted that open carry could indeed be on the table. "You may get that in this upcoming legislative session, stay tuned on that." Rose, seemingly enthused, added, "I'll hold you to it if I get the chance, governor."
With Republican supermajorities in both chambers of Florida's legislature, 28-12 in the State Senate and 85-35 in the State House, the pathway appears open for such a measure to be seriously considered, especially with a Republican governor. (Related: OPEN CARRY transforms into OPEN TYRANNY in Virginia as judge rules Second Amendment null and void in state capitol.)
Gun rights advocates argue that passing open carry would improve Florida's standing among gun-friendly states because, despite its reputation as a conservative stronghold, Florida currently does not allow open carry. In fact, Florida ranks 22nd in Guns & Ammo magazine's list of best states for gun owners. Additionally, Florida's stance aligns with a handful of states with stricter gun control policies, including California, Connecticut and Illinois.
This has been seen as an underperformance given Florida's conservative profile, setting it apart from many other Republican-leaning states.
Gun rights advocates reach out to lawmakers about getting an open carry bill filed for the 2025 legislative session
Prior to the interview, gun rights advocates had already reignited efforts to overturn the state's ban on open carry in August by reaching out to members of the House and Senate about getting a bill filed for the 2025 legislative session.
"We're already talking to lawmakers to introduce legislation next session," said Luis Valdes, Florida state chair of Gun Owners of America. "We never give up the fight."
The optimism came as new leadership took over the Florida Legislature this year, with State Rep. Daniel Perez (R-Miami) stepping in as speaker of the Florida House and Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) as senate president.
"We've been having conversations with the new incoming Senate president and, while he's not made any commitments, I think he's going to be much more open to at least allowing pro-Second Amendment legislation to be heard," said Bob White, the chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida.
"And of course last session and the session before, [outgoing Senate President Kathleen Passidomo] just had an almost outright ban on Second Amendment bills even being heard, much less passed. So I'm optimistic that we might see some progress next year," he added, reassuring his fellow gun rights advocates.
Check out SecondAmendment.news for more stories related to the constitutional right to bear arms of Americans.
Watch the full episode of "Faithful Freedom" with Teryn Gregson featuring Dawn Jolly discussing why anti-open carry legislation is not lawful and does not make people safe.
This video is from the We The Patriots USA channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Pro-2A group sues Connecticut over UNCONSTITUTIONAL state law banning open carry.
Philadelphia's Democrat mayor signs gun ban that applies to concealed carry permit holders.
Sources include:
BigLeaguePolitics.Substack.com
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