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Among the raft of bills Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law today was SB290. As the preamble says, the bill is…

An act relating to carrying a concealed weapon or a concealed firearm; amending s. 790.01, F.S.; providing an exemption from criminal penalties for carrying a concealed weapon or a concealed firearm when evacuating pursuant to a mandatory evacuation order during a declared state of emergency; providing an effective date.

In other words, Floridians fleeing Hurricane Matthew (or any future hellstorms) can take their firearms along with them, concealed, without fear of arrest…for a period of 48 hours. A time period that the Governor may elect to extend.

The law was enacted by the Florida legislature in response to the many post-Katrina Second Amendment abuses visited on Louisiana’s gun owners. It’s a model for other states in the path of potential catastrophic storms. Or earthquakes. Or floods. Or fires. Come to think of it, there’s no good reason every state doesn’t have a version of this law on the books.

So all due props to Governor Scott and Florida’s legispeople. Here’s to the Sunshine State’s citizens making a quick and safe exit from the storm zone with their loved ones and firearms in tow. And if those are one and the same, that’s OK, too.

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35 COMMENTS

  3. Well I don’t think I’ll EVER see permittless carry in Illinois. Even if Satan himself(herself) came up from Hell…and we got a nominally Republican governor. So props…

  5. “In unrelated news, the hurricane (of looters) was seen making a hard right turn away from Florida…”

  6. “Come to think of it, there’s no good reason every state doesn’t have a version of this law on the books.”

    Come to think of it, there’s no good reason every state does have laws prohibiting the carry of guns. There is no reason a state should need this law because every state should be constitutional carry.

  7. That’s… Actually a pretty good idea.

    Still not as good as permit less carry like I enjoy in AK, but for a government from the lesser 49? Downright scary in how logical he’s being.

  8. Isn’t some troll going to mention how frightened she/he will be trying to loot houses because the forward-thinking state of FL hasn’t made him safer? (I’ll be looking forward to saying “GOOD, that’s how it SHOULD BE!”)

  9. The immediate problem I see with this otherwise common-sense bit of legislation is when those fleeing the storm get to a government-sanctioned sanctuary, be it a school gymnasium fitted with cots or perhaps a college dormitory. I’ll bet you a dime to a doughnut that each and every one of these facilities will be in a “Gun Free Zone”. Those who take their firearms with them will be left with the choice of leaving their firearms unguarded in their vehicles or sleeping on the back seat, not exactly conducive to a good night’s rest. Would the state have the foresight to have a place for people to “check-in” their firearms at a storm sanctuary facility? Maybe – but I doubt it.

    • So, avoid the stupid ‘shelter’ and keep driving til you find a motel vacancy.

      Or, better yet, stay with a family member or friend that happens to live farther inland.

      Who would WANT to go to/stay at a ‘shelter’ anyway…for this AND other reasons?

      • You are not wrong though you need to consider the logistics of the situation. There is precious little privacy in these shelters. Moving your firearm from your body to a bag when you need to change clothes or shower is going to be very difficult. Leaving the firearm in a bag at all times poses a huge risk of theft.

        Concealed is concealed is true. There are just lots of chances for concealed to become not pretty easy.

  10. Of course,
    Let’s take a natural disaster and turn it into a human made disaster. EVERYBODY CARRY GUNS. That will help the dire situation. God forbid some property is more valuable than life itself. Woo. Haaa

    • “Let’s take a natural disaster and turn it into a human made disaster.”

      Huh, that’s funny. People have defended themselves during these events before and it didn’t turn into a “human made disaster”. Why would happen this time?

      “God forbid some property is more valuable than life itself.”

      Some property is more valuable some life itself. Like these people, dirtbags already salivating over the theft they plan to commit:
      http://i.imgur.com/78NfDfQ.jpg

      • But he’s right. Human life is more important. Ergo, Florida should enact permitless carry 365 days of the year, not just when property is conveniently threatened by natural disasters. /smirk

    • That comment about property being more valuable than life has me imagining Rick going after a bag of guns under a tank amidst a horde of zombies.
      What other fantasies can you conjure up for me?

    • Some property might not be more valuable than some lives. OTOH my property IS more valuable to me then lives of human trash trying to steal it.

      You see, I didn’t win my money in lottery, I did not steal it and exactly zero of it was given to me for free. Every penny I have cost me labor and time. It means that I exchanged it for part of my life I am never getting back. My family depends on this property with their lives. So the way I see it, I owe it to my children to defend our modest home and our stuff inside. And if the looting POS attacks me for standing in his way, I’m ready to stop him with deadly force.

      Only rich man could say “Whoever steals my money steals only dust.” I’m not rich by a long shot, so my view is “Whoever steals my property steals my life and shouldn’t be surprised if he loses his in the process. ”

      TL;DR Don’t steal and your precious life is safe.

    • And late that very night . . .
      David Z’s Wife: “Honey, wake up. I hear noises in the living room. I think someone’s broken into the house!”
      David Z: (groggily) “Huh, wha . . . ? Someone in the house?”
      DZW: “Shhh. Listen.”
      DZ: (after a moment) “Why, yes, I believe you are correct. There is definitely an intruder in our lovely little domicile. Well, good night.”
      DZW: “Good night? Aren’t you going to call the police?”
      DZ: “Oh, heavens no, dear. The police would doubtless be armed, with handguns at the very least. There is a potential they would even bring (pauses as he shudders at the thought) assault rifles, or, as they euphemistically refer to them, ‘patrol rifles.’ No matter the nomenclature, they are indeed deadly devices. And nothing we own is worth more than a person’s life!”
      DZW: “But what if he doesn’t intend to just take our things? What if he comes into our bedroom and attacks us? I say call the police.”
      DZ: “Dear, please, control your emotions. We have no way to judge his intentions at this point. And, by the time we could be in a position to divine the depths of his depravity, it would simply be too late for us. At that point, the police would be unable to provide us any protection.”
      DZW: “You mean you’d allow him to harm or even kill us?”
      DZ: “Far better to die than have to live with the guilt of the responding constabulary shooting that poor soul. Besides, if we summon the police, and there is an exchange of gunfire, might not we find ourselves in the resulting crossfire? Furthermore, consider the possibility that some neighborhood gun nut, or nuts, hearing the gunfire would then conclude that the apocalypse is upon them and begin shooting indiscriminately in all directions, wreaking havoc and carnage all up and down the street. There could result, arising from our selfish decision to attempt to protect ourselves and our possessions, an inconceivable bloodbath and loss of life. I find that possibility far too terrible to contemplate. So, no, I will not have that on my head. The police will not be called. I will not employ firearms, my own nor another’s, in assassinating that burglar, and half of our neighbors, as well. Our intruder may take such course of action as he will. I will not raise a finger to stop him.”
      DZW: “So, he has the power of life and death over us, because he has chosen to break both the written law and the code of civility, and act in a morally corrupt and evil manner. We, basically, have to subjugate ourselves to evil?”
      DZ: “How else can we keep the peace?”

  11. In Texas you can carry gun in your vehicle when driving from home to another place, without a LTC. I used to go see my elderly father about 62 miles from my house to his. Leaving after work from a call center I worked for at the time. 1:30 to 10:00 pm shift. One day while having breakfast, he said “you know since you are driving late at night, you really should have a handgun with you in case of car trouble” So brought my first handgun, Ruger LCR 38 P+, never had a need, but sure made us both feel better. Now have Ruger LCR 9MM LUGER, since I still go over to homestead inherited by my brother and sister in law. I carry because have husband, friends, family and three Golden Retrievers who need me

  12. Texas law allows carrying a handgun in a vehicle, boat, or RV without a License To Carry at any time as long as it’s concealed. There are no travel restrictions.

    • FYI NH allows open carry without a permit. I do not recall any specific laws regarding carrying in a vehicle, obv IANAL.

  14. Contrast this action with the mayor of New Orleans during Katrina, Ray Nagen. He had the police confiscate guns from everyone but criminals. Then the police stole the really nice guns–Ed Brown and the like–and dumped the rest in a warehouse without climate control to rust. Good new for the world: Ray Nagen is in prison for some of his other criminal activities.

  15. Yeah, okay…Just dont try any of this in some of the Eastern Bloc “Authoritarian Police-Safety States” like Massachusetts. Or you WILL receive a decree from AG. Maura Healey declaring you an enemy of the state. You could be placed on the Massachusetts “Shay’s Rebellion alert!” And be visited upon by your heavily paramilitarizied local “thin blue line.” And you don’t need that kind of stuff in a Liberal paradise like Massachusetts. For Law Enforcement, Politicians, Companies, and Special persons with Special Privileges ONLY ! **RESTRICTED**. There is no 2nd amendment here………..

  17. My state just recently enacted legislation that reversed previous SOE legislation prohibiting the carrying of firearms open or concealed and the sale of alcoholic beverages. The firearm legislation never concerned me as I am a constitutionalist first and legal concealed carrier second but the damn liquor store was closed during the last hurricane and that was a real disaster.

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