ORLANDO, Fla. – Some Central Florida law enforcement agencies are retraining officers and fighting misconceptions as they prepare for Florida’s new constitutional carry gun law to take effect.
Starting July 1, a new law allowing Floridians over the age of 21 to carry a concealed firearm or other weapons without a permit will take effect. It does not change who can purchase firearms and where you can carry them.
Volusia County Sheriff Michael Chitwood said there are several misconceptions about the law, among them that open carry is still illegal in Florida under most circumstances.
“The biggest misconception is that anybody can carry,” Chitwood said.
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Chitwood says his priority remains public safety.
“We’ve had 11 people shoot themselves since January. Four of them were convicted felons playing with their guns, taking it out of their waistband, cleaning it, and shot themselves,” Chitwood said.
When asked about any concerns about more guns being on the streets, Chitwood said there are going to be more firearms present.
“That’s the concern, from road rage incidents to bar fights,” Chitwood said.
In Volusia County, deputies are retraining ahead of July 1. Chitwood said education is essential for his officers and the public.
“It’s going to change the way we contact people. We are going to have to assume now that everybody is armed and there are certain questions and everything that we’re going to have to ask,” Chitwood said.
Data from the state shows 2,598,331 people are already licensed carriers in Florida. More than 75,000 are in Volusia and more than 117,000 are in Orange County, according to statistics from May.
“We were able to stop 7,000 people from being able to get a concealed carry permit because of their history,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina said. “Now those people may or may not follow the law and just stick a gun in their pants because they think anyone can carry a gun now.”
Mina believes the new law is dangerous for his deputies and the community.
“It just makes our job even more difficult than it already was,” Mina said. “You think about, you know, a person walking towards a school - not on school property yet - but walking towards a school with a gun. It’s legal to carry it concealed.”
His fears are that more guns will lead to more gun violence.
“I just think it’s going to lead to more deadly encounters between our citizens and even more deadly encounters between law enforcement and the public,” Mina said.
Supporters of the law say that responsible gun ownership doesn’t start with a permit, and concealed carry licenses are still available to anyone who wants one in Florida. A Florida concealed weapon license is valid in many other states.
Chitwood says time will tell what happens in Florida once the law takes effect. He did note more than 20 other states have passed similar legislation already.
His office is encouraging people to educate themselves. They are offering safety training classes in July. There are courses on Saturday, July 22, and Saturday, July 29, at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Each one can hold 20 people and both have reached capacity.
The sheriff’s office is planning to offer more classes in August, but those dates have not been scheduled.
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