In Need Of More Murders, Florida Shoots For No-Permit Gun Carry Bill

Same day as a mass shooting? Sure, why do you ask?

The great state of Florida is fixing to introduce a bill that would allow folks to carry concealed firearms pretty much anywhere without a permit or training, just like the Founders wanted but didn't actually say. The so-called "constitutional carry" bill would have to wait until the 2023 legislative session actually starts in March, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has previously said he'd sign such a bill if the Lege passes one.

House Speaker Paul Renner (R) announced the bill at a presser yesterday, touting its endorsement by the Florida Sheriffs Association as well. Florida Politics notes that several previous bills to eliminate state permit requirements have failed in the state Lege, but this time around, the bill may have better chances since it has the backing of both Renner and state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R), as well as the sheriffs' group. Previous bills have faced opposition from some law enforcement groups, who would perhaps not like officers facing even more people with concealed weapons.

Just to underline why everyone is better off when more and more guns are on the streets, at least 10 people were wounded in a drive-by shooting in Lakeland yesterday afternoon, and just think, if all 10 of those folks had been carrying, maybe one of them could have shot the driver, or maybe more bystanders, you never know. That's the wonderful thing about guns: You can come up with all sorts of hypotheticals in which everything would be fine and they only kill bad people! Please ignore that statistically, mostly what you get with looser gun laws is more violent crime. 

Those good guys with guns just don't seem to be there at the right moment, so we simply need more and more guns to give the good guys a chance to stop the increasing carnage.

Renner explained that the Whoopee Guns For All bill is about protecting the "universal right that applies to each and every man and woman regardless of race, gender or background" although we're not sure that means he'd be fine with Drag Queen Concealed Carry Story Hour at the local library.

Currently, Florida requires applicants for concealed carry permits to pass a firearms training class and background check, but Renner said the bill would simply eliminate the need for "a government permission slip ... to exercise a Constitutional right."

Floridians who want to have a concealed carry permit could still get one if they want, so they can carry their fantasy talismans of justice in other states with "reciprocity agreements" that allow concealed carry for people with such permits. We honestly haven't done the Venn diagram to see how many of those states are among the 25 that have already passed their own "constitutional carry" laws as well.

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and a bunch of other Florida sheriffs joined Renner at the presser, explaining that everyone needs a concealed weapon because "Criminals don't go get a permit. [...] they don't care about obeying the law."

That would probably be a more convincing argument were it not for all the "responsible" gun owners who end up shooting a bunch of people. But that makes them criminals, so they don't count. The gun humpers like to remind us that most mass shooters purchased at least some of their firearms legally, so we can't do anything except have more and more guns and hope for the best, OK?

Of course, that leaves out a few other details, as a 2022 National Institute of Justice analysis found:

Most individuals who perpetrated mass shootings had a prior criminal record (64.5%) and a history of violence (62.8%), including domestic violence (27.9%). And 28.5% had a military background.

So violent people and domestic abusers do mass shootings even with their legally purchased guns sometimes. Would "red flag" laws help there? They would , but they're tyrannical.

And in mass shootings at K-12 schools, 80 percent of perpetrators stole their guns from family members. Maybe that's a good argument for safe storage laws, except for how those are also tyranny. 

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, the president of the Florida Sheriffs Association, also spoke at the presser, insisting that "I think we can assume that our citizens are going to do the right thing when it comes to carrying and bearing arms." You know, just like in the years after Florida passed its 2005 "Stand Your Ground Law," when gun homicides jumped by 31 percent. In the 41 states that have passed similar laws, gun deaths have increased 8 percent to 11 percent, so maybe Florida is more special when it comes to armed citizens "doing the right thing."

Also too, yet another study found that, as in previous years, red states have had much higher murder rates than blue states, so it's very important that Florida keep up.

In conclusion, Florida is looking forward to a lot more freedom and homicide, so we're sure everything will work out great the end.

[ Florida Politics / CNN / Tallahassee Democrat / National Institute of Justice / Axios ]

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