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Florida Senator Greg Evers is sponsoring legislation to reform many of Florida’s highly restrictive handgun carry and purchasing laws. If passed in its current form, SB-234 will legalize many activities already lawful in other states.

Since 1987 the State of Florida has issued nearly 2 million Concealed Weapon or Firearms Licenses (CWFL) that allows people to carry a concealed firearm if they pay a fee, have had appropriate training, a criminal background check with FBI fingerprint search, and are over the age of 21. In the licensing program’s 23 year history only 168 licenses have been revoked for improper use or display of a firearm. This shows Florida CWFL licensees to be demographically one of the most law abiding groups for which data is available.

The miniscule number of revoked licenses would be even lower were it not for a statewide ban on carrying an unconcealed firearm. Florida, and only six other states, currently outlaw openly carrying a properly holstered handgun. Even taking off your coat at a friend’s house or having your shirt ride up while reaching for a can at the grocery store can put licensees at risk of loosing their CWFL and a misdemeanor arrest. Having a holstered and exposed pistol is also banned while doing many back-county outdoor activities where it would be expected in 43 other states. SB-234 will allow CWFL licensees to choose the method of carry most appropriate to the situation at hand and decriminalize accidental and casual failure to maintain concealment. Members of the Florida Open Carry movement look forward to the bill passing having received assurances from Governor-elect Scott that he would end the open carry ban.

SB-234 will also allow for concealed carry on college campuses by licensed students and professors. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus was formed by college students immediately after the 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech. They advocate for licensed concealed carry on college campuses to put an end to what is referred to as a “defense free zone” in our nation’s post-secondary institutions. College carry prohibitions also generally extend to student and faculty parking lots. This makes students defenseless during their drives to and from campus. Students for Concealed Carry on Campus has chapters at colleges across the state.

The bill looks to fix the parking lot issue off campus as well. Currently licensees may leave their firearms secured in their cars in private parking lots at their own places of work. SB-234 extends that protection to cover wherever you may legally park your vehicle. Thus you can visit a location that prohibits the carry of firearms but not be defenseless for the trip. The Florida Chamber of Commerce has fought the parking lot provision in the past but has lost some member businesses in the process. The NRA got involved in the issue after hearing from a father, whose son was killed in a car accident, when he was told by the private cemetery’s management that he could not visit if there was a gun stored in his car.

Currently all law abiding Floridians can only purchase a handgun in Florida or a rifle/shotgun in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama. Another provision of SB-234 will allow Florida residents to purchase firearms in any other state as long as they pass a criminal background check and comply with all federal and state laws where the purchase is made.

Department of Agriculture employees have been taking fingerprints for carry license applications since October of 2009 at regional offices across the state. This program has been highly successful in servicing applicants but there is a problem, the statute currently requires that fingerprints be collected only by law enforcement agencies. The bill also authorizes the Florida Department of Agriculture to take fingerprints for license applications