Florida Gun Laws Changing: For The Better

On Wednesday, May 28, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that would end the ability of local governments to restrict the purchasing of firearms and ammunition during local states of emergency. While many, including myself, see logic in the ability to protect themselves, their homes, and their loved ones in a state of emergency, I encourage Americans to be prepared ahead of time, as shopping during difficult times can be as rough as the last bits of toilet paper on the shelf during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

House Bill 6025, sponsored by Republican Representatives Monique Miller and Debbie Mayfield, repeals Section 870.044 of the Florida statute, dealing with restrictions on firearms and ammunition under the state’s “Automatic Emergency Measures” during what the statute calls “Affrays; Riots; Routs; Unlawful Assemblies.” The bill’s message is simple, so simple in fact that it took a single sentence to convey and another to place into effect immediately.

“Section 870.044, Florida Statutes, is repealed… This act shall take effect upon becoming a law,” the bill reads. 

The measure is an important one, as Floridians’ Second Amendment rights during such times are not additionally restricted by the state or federal government, but can be subject to arbitrary, confusing, and unconstitutional local laws enacted by activist city councils. This occurred in certain Florida municipalities during COVID-19, the 2020 riots after the death of George Floyd, and Hurricane Helene. 

Those restrictions specifically prohibited the sale or any display for sale of firearms or ammunition, and the intentional possession of a firearm in a public place by any person other than a law enforcement officer or military servicemember acting in the official performance of their duties. If preservation of life legally falls solely on those government employees during such times, would they then be subject to liability for loss of life also? No, it never works out that way with the government, where everything seems to work in its favor. 

But those days are gone now, at least in Florida. Residents will no longer be restricted from defending themselves from the threats of violence and public disorder brought on by the left. Jed Carroll, Florida’s deputy state director of Gun Owners of America, pointed out the obvious as he discussed a similar bill passed around the Senate, calling the former prohibitions unconstitutional, especially “at the very time when people need to be able to protect themselves.” 

This all comes as Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have been working to restore Second Amendment rights to Floridians by looking to repeal red-flag laws and age restrictions on adults aged 18-20, scars inflicted on the state during Pam Bondi’s time as the state’s Attorney General. Yeah, let that sink in.Either way, this is a smart move that respects the natural and constitutionally enumerated rights of Americans who choose to call the Sunshine State home.