Gun-rights advocates angry after top Florida lawmaker says ‘no’ to open carry

Florida gun rights advocates expressed feelings of betrayal and abandonment after new Florida Senate President Ben Albritton seemingly snuffed out any open carry and campus carry legislation in 2025.

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s organization session, Albritton voiced opposition to the idea of changing Florida law to allow the open carry of firearms as at least 39 other states permit, according to the Everytown USA gun research organization. Florida allows people to carry concealed firearms but does not allow openly carrying guns.

Albritton, R-Wauchula, told reporters that as a life-long and consistent supporter of law enforcement, he will oppose any open carry legislation in 2025: “I trust my law enforcement officials. They oppose it … and I stand with them today in opposition.”

The remarks infuriated gun rights advocates who want legislation that will repeal Florida’s prohibition on the open display of firearms in public and repeal “gun-free” zones for college and university campuses.

The new Senate president seemingly parted ways with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has previously signaled support for open carry. And as recently as the day before the November election, in an appearance on Central Florida radio host Bob Rose’s show, he suggested 2025 would be the year the ban would be lifted.

When Rose remarked he was more interested in open carry than he was in a recreational marijuana constitutional amendment, DeSantis said, “You may get that in this upcoming legislative session, stay tuned on that.”

A spokesperson for Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said he has not “prejudged” any issue lawmakers may consider but the House will “take the Senate’s position on things very seriously.”

The comments were a big let down for gun rights advocates who have been working for at least 10 years to get what they call “constitutional carry” through the Florida Legislature. It especially stung coming two weeks after DeSantis’ radio appearance and the GOP scoring supermajorities in the House and Senate.

Both Albritton and Perez have scored more than 90% on the NRA’s gun rights scorecard, according to the Vote Smart ‘Facts for All’ database.

“We feel very betrayed but we’re not going to drop this issue,” said Luis Valdes, Florida Director of Gun Owners of America (GOA), a 48-year-old gun lobbying group active in all 50 states.

“For … Albritton to announce that open carry is dead on arrival, (that) smacked Florida gun owners in the face after those gun owners gave him the very office he holds when they installed a Republican supermajority that put him in office,” Valdes added.

In August, GOA filed a lawsuit in federal court to overturn the ban and Valdes said they are reaching out to members of the House and Senate to sponsor a repeal of the ban in 2025.

Valdes said GOA is also working with lawmakers to draft open carry legislation for a legislative session that begins in March. “We will not stop pressing the issue,” Valdes said. “We will get open carry legalized, period.”

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Gun advocates angry after top Florida lawmaker says ‘no’ to open carry

EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel