Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Three states are currently making significant progress toward joining 25 others in the constitutional carry club. A permitless carry bill has already passed the House in South Carolina and is working its way through the Senate. Nebraska took a big step forward when two Democrats — the only black members of the Senate — came out in favor of permitless carry this week.

And then there’s Florida. There’s been solid momentum behind the permitless concealed carry bills that are moving through the House and Senate. Everyone expects them to pass. But some gun rights orgs have objected to the fact that open carry wasn’t part of the legislation.

Open carry supporters have been told by Republican leaders in the Legislature that the only way open carry could be added to the pending bills is if the governor came out in favor of it. Well . . .

Gun Owners of America’s Florida director (and TTAG contributor) Luis Valdes figured the best way to find out what DeSantis thinks about open carry is to ask him directly. So Valdes bought a copy of the Governor’s new book and stood in line for two hours at a book-signing event in Jacksonville. As DeSantis was signing the book for Valdes, he asked him about open carry.

You can hear the exchange here.

When asked if he he supports open carry and would like to see it added to the permitless carry bills, DeSantis said . . .

Yeah, absolutely. I don’t think [the Legislature] are gonna do it, but I would absolutely. 

As a Tampa Bay Times article about the Governor’s support for open carry makes clear, that puts the Legislature in the hot seat. The legislature reconvenes on March 7.

Before Florida’s legislative session even officially begins, the bill is ready to go to the House floor for a vote, and has only one other committee stop in the Senate. It has been voted for on strict party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats against.

Though Florida’s legislative leaders and the bill sponsors have praised the legislation as being an expansion of Second Amendment constitutional rights, members of pro-gun groups have criticized the Republican-dominated Legislature for failing to match other states when it comes to open carry.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo did not respond to emails Friday asking for comment on the recording of the governor. A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Renner said Renner has consistently stated his support for expanding constitutional rights, and that the permitless carry bill is a “significant win.”

Florida is one of the few states to prohibit open carry of weapons in nearly all circumstances. New York and Illinois also prohibit open carry. It is largely prohibited in California as well, though a small carve-out exists for counties with fewer than 200,000 people, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

Valdes, the Gun Owners of America director, has been outspoken that the permitless carry bill does not go far enough and has worked to get lawmakers to adopt open carry legislation. He has previously said that if the governor was a strong supporter of open carry, he could get the Legislature to act.

On Friday, Valdes said he hopes the governor’s recorded statement will do just that.

Neither House or Senate leaders are fans of open carry in the Republican supermajority-controlled Legislature. They firgured they could pass permitless carry and mollify Florida’s very vocal pro-gun community without adding open carry onto the bills. They’d just blame it on a perceived lack of support by the Governor.

Now they can’t do that any more. Gun rights supporters were told that if DeSantis came out in support of open carry, they’d look at adding it to the permitless carry bills moving through the legislature. Valdes 10-second recording has boxed them in. They can no longer use a perceived lack of support from DeSantis as an excuse.

The question now is, with their excuse gone, whether they’ll make good and add open carry to the bills. Watch this space.

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58 COMMENTS

  1. Permitless concealed/open carry or drag queen story Hour/CRT. So many choices to choose from. How about make it legal to smoke dope in public free from arrest instead.

    • Why not? Freedom is messy. Having a gun, putting on a dress when you’re a male or burning a joint are not crimes.

      • You don’t believe freedom is messy. Because you don’t believe in the consequences and responsibility that comes with freedom.

        You don’t believe property owners should be able to use deadly force if necessary, to protect their property from being stolen. By drug users who will pawn it to pay for their drugs.

        And if you want to wear a dress be my guest. But you want to use government force to force people to call you a woman when you are not.

        And if a man wearing a dress and calling himself a woman demands to use the girl’s changing room the women should put a bullet in his head.

        The mothers can claim they are protecting their children. Which they are.

        • Okay, good. Glad you followed up with clarification of your first comment at the top. I was wondering if you were serious, or if you had forgotten to add the /sarc at the end.

        • Many Libertarians believe that we should be able to protect our own and other’s property(with owner’s consent) with any means possible.
          If it is legal to drink in public, what difference is smoking a little bush?
          I really have no dog in this race, but I don’t think Marijuana is any worse than alcohol.
          Other drugs are a different story.
          Users of Marijuana only are not going to break into homes just so they can get high, they might do so to continue the thug life, they are too good to get a job.

        • rrt66paul. If you can’t figure out why it is a big problem permmittng people to “smoke a little bush”, then you are part of the problem.

        • “Users of Marijuana only are not going to break into homes just so they can get high…”

          Try saying that to a friend of mine, who visited his son in jail, after the kid pled guilty to doing just that.

        • “But you want to use government force to force people to call you a woman when you are not.“

          Specifically what Gov is forcing you?

        • MINOR Miner49er , Specifically, the Federal Government (ATF) and the Leftist DEMONcRAT states. Is that specific enough for you?

      • You tell me a lot about what I don’t believe. Interesting. I support using a firearm in defense of life and property. How you supposed I did not because I said a free person could smoke a joint is beyond my understanding.

        A man wearing a dress has nothing to do with the issues of bathrooms. He is a man so he uses the mens room. And I never said anything about .gov force.

        .gov force is the failed war on drugs. .gov force is telling a person what kind of clothes they can wear.

        Like I said, Chris, freedom is messy. Judging from your comments you are not ready to be a free man.

        • Since others can get high off pot fumes from the joint you’re smoking it is not like alcohol. Your freedom to smoke a joint ends where my nose begins.

    • Exactly what sort of weak willed pussies are you people that need to take in mind altering substances to make it thru the day? If you are so triggered by daily events I suggest that you really do not have the mental fortitude to own or certainly carry a firearm on your person.

    • make it legal to smoke dope in public free from arrest instead.

      Not totally legal, but possession of an ounce or less and or public use has been diluted to a citation and a negligible fine at least in my part of FL… They don’t even take your dope…

  2. We need DeSantis running Florida. If he steps up, it needs to be to the legislative side of DC. Just as Cruz needs to be where he is. That is where they can make the most impact.

    • If nothing else he keeps pressure on “conservatives” in Florida to at least act the part. We need about 50 of him up here as Stefanik is about the best we have and while great is no where near enough.

  3. DeSantis had to do something to placate the voters he’s going to screw when he announces his run for POTUS in ’24 after “promising” to complete his second term as Governor, not sure our Lt. Gov is up to the task, guess we’ll see… Hope I’m wrong but there is already discussion of changing the must resign rule to allow him to remain Gov while he runs for POTUS…

  4. For DeSantis to maintain credibility here he will need to proactively direct legislators to include open carry to the bill.

    • Ansel, DeSantis already has a LOT of credibility. A governor can “direct” all he/she wants. The Legislature is a SEPEREATE BRANH of government.

      • Ansel…Picture Jim Crow Gun Control democRat joe and his vp laughing hyena. That way DeSantis et al tilts the credibility scales like a Mack Truck tilts the scales on an empty soda can.

        • Deb, picture Orange Man sending mean tweets that launch libs into hysterics, vs Desantis making a statement like yeah if they include it I’ll sign it. It’s the fact that it took Luis Valdez taping him to possibly nail it down that has my antenna up. I’m done with RINO posers. Get photographed holding an AR15 and saying I’ll support the 2A without question or go home.

        • Ansel, if I did not know better, I’d say you were a “Never-Trumper”. Frankly, I don’t mind it is a man tells the truth and “offends” some weak kneed neanderthal.

      • Walter, action speaks louder than words. See my response to Deb. And the action needed here is an open letter to the Fla legislature telling them to make open carry happen. He needs to make it his issue. Not leaving it open to possibility.

  6. It will be better for the state of Florida in fact all the States, if the Republican governors just stay where they are at. That way, they can strengthen the individual States if and/or when a national divorce comes.

    The time is coming very soon. When the federal government will send forces into the states to get their way.

    You say it can’t happen here that that would never happen???
    Then you have not been paying attention since the year 2020.

    Trump 2024. After him, then national divorce.

    • While a possibility I think a limited war with Russia/China to solidify our home front and allow them to do whatever is needed to keep their subjects in check is more likely.

  7. Outstanding!

    All the more for the fascist Leftist Scum ™ to lose their shit over.

    Trump was right, with him, we will be winning so much, we’ll get tired of winning… 🙂

  8. Florida needs DeSantis. America needs POTUS DJT to finish the building he started, that requires someone who knows how to read blueprints, understands logistics, etc.

  9. There is no Libertarian who supports the police. And there is no Libertarian who supports a property owner who kills to protect what is theirs.

    You had your chance in 2020. But you called them “Trumps secret police”, when rioters tried to burn down a federal court house. With the people still inside it.

    Governor DeSantis is a conservative law and order Republican. Who is against making drugs legal. And is against allowing a man wearing a dress to use the girls changing room.
    You are incapable of supporting such a candidate.

    I will say it again the police are completely unreliable. That was proven in 2020. When they followed orders, and stood down and did nothing. While drug addicts and others, looted stores and killed innocent people where they stood.

    The police should be disarmed, as I have said before. Issue them nightsticks and the training to use them.

    Let the law abiding begin shooting these criminals dead on site. And let the rats feast on their dead bodies and allow the cameras to take pictures over the next 3 days. Broadcast it all over the world.

    And yes I’m serious.

    BTW
    The definitions of conservatives, libertarians, republicans, democrats, liberals, and leftists have completely changed in the 21st century.

    • “And is against allowing a man wearing a dress to use the girls changing room.“

      Trump doesn’t even need a dress, “if you’re a celebrity you can do anything you want”.

      “Well, I’ll tell you the funniest is that I’ll go backstage before a show, and everyone’s getting dressed, and ready and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it. You know, I’m inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good.

      “You know, the dresses. ‘Is everyone okay?’ You know, they’re standing there with no clothes. ‘Is everybody okay?’ And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that. But no, I’ve been very good.”

      • MINOR Miner49er, Pretty much Trump was/is right. Look at your buddy Alex Baldwin, how about AOC?
        Specifically, who are these “incredibly looking women?”

  10. “Open carry supporters have been told by Republican leaders in the Legislature that the only way open carry could be added to the pending bills is if the governor came out in favor of it”.

    Apparently the so-called “Republican leaders” never bothered to approach Gov. DeSantis because…..? They didn’t want to do this.

    Kudos to Luis Valdes!!!!

  12. We are in the middle of a coup. Brandon is a ccp spy. They always let the criminals go wild to keep the police busy, and to divide us. Chris T, you need to smoke some herb, before you start pontificating about it. Just one more means of division. How many rx do you take? Elvis had scripts for all his shit too.

    • “Brandon is a ccp spy“

      I would love to see your evidence to support your claim, thanks!

      • Nothing else makes sense. Keeps screwing up left and right, 1 example is letting the spy balloon fly over our missile silos. I really don’t care what you think, every time you comment you prove you’re dumb as a box of rocks and racist.

      • would love to see your evidence

        Maybe you can produce something definitive to prove he is NOT on the CCP payroll… He KNEW his son was involved in a “business” venture with Chinas top spy, but he had no problem accepting his (for the Big Guy) 10%, or making Hunter pay HIS bills with that money… If it looks like shit, and smells like shit it pretty much IS… The “Laptop from Hell” will bite them all in the ass…

      • Another 1st for the Braindead White House…
        Brandon and Hunter have earned another honor. In the history of our federal government, they are the first father-and-son duo to be under federal investigations at the same time and for separate violations of federal laws.

      • MINOR Miner49er How about the way Sleepy Joe and his minions kowtow to China?

  13. I support the second amendment and I support my voters. But before I make a decision any decision, on which way I’m going to vote on a pending legislation, well,, that has too come from one of my many donators. Highest bidder usually wins, in this case Mickey.
    I’ve an idea, if you gunm nutz want me to change anything you’ve gotta keep the money rolling.
    ??? Did I just say that??? Its these damned truth smearums pills some asshole slipped into my martini before I do it with this 16year old over here that I suckered some charitable organization gifter to pay for. ??? Oh Make It Stop.
    The truth,, , we cant handle the truth.,
    ,,,Did I say I like ice cream or was it war and poverty?
    It really,,, doesn’t matter
    To me
    Mama Mia Mama Mia

  14. 2020/21 was COVID. This election will hinge on gun rights and they are already pushing hardcore for it. It will 100% be the straw that breaks the camels back in the US. Abortion rights will also be a part of it, but not as much. Only hardcore liberals fight for “their body rights”… abortions are still a thing when they are needed and justifiable. But gun rights will be a 100% yes or no debate. There is no middle ground.

    • “Only hardcore liberals fight for “their body rights”… “

      Allowing the government to force pregnancy and birth violates the 13th amendment:

      “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.“

      • To allow murder of a fetus is a violation of 18 USC Ch. 51: 1111. Murder
        (a) Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Every murder perpetrated by poison, lying in wait, or any other kind of willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated killing; or committed in the perpetration of, or attempt to perpetrate, any arson, escape, murder, kidnapping, treason, espionage, sabotage, aggravated sexual abuse or sexual abuse, child abuse, burglary, or robbery; or perpetrated as part of a pattern or practice of assault or torture against a child or children; or perpetrated from a premeditated design unlawfully and maliciously to effect the death of any human being other than him who is killed, is murder in the first degree.

        1117. Conspiracy to murder
        If two or more persons conspire to violate section 1111, 1114, 1116, or 1119 of this title, and one or more of such persons do any overt act to affect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be punished by imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

        99% of pregnancies are voluntary AND preventable, pregnancy is NOT slavery…

        • “murder of a fetus“

          A fetus is not a ‘human being’ any more than a spermatozoa, egg or zygote.

          “1 U.S. Code § 8 – “Person”, “human being”, “child”, and “individual” as including born-alive infant

          (a) In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the words “person”, “human being”, “child”, and “individual”, shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development.”

          Not a ‘person’ until ‘born alive’.

          It’s the same as Genesis 2:7 KJV

          “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.“

          No ‘breath of life’, no soul…

          And if it was a ‘person’, under what authority could the Gov force another person to involuntarily serve this ‘person’?

        • No ‘breath of life’, no soul…

          The “breath of life” oxygen is provided through the mother by way of the umbilical cord which allows the exchange of oxygen from the mothers blood and carbon dioxide from the fetus’ blood. At 10 weeks a fetus is fully recognizable as human, at 12 weeks it starts moving on its own, at 13 weeks a female fetus has already developed eggs in HER ovaries, at 14 weeks brain impulses begin and sensations like PAIN can be felt, at 19 weeks the fetus can hear sounds outside the womb, at 24 weeks the fetus has a 60/40 chance of survival outside the womb, at 26 weeks the fetus is inhaling amniotic fluid, at 27 weeks the fetus actually goes through sleep and wake cycles and the brain is fully functional, at 30 weeks survivability outside the womb is 75%, at 34 weeks survivability in nearly 100%… Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D.) commented about a controversial 40-week abortion bill and in so doing said the law allows an abortion to take place after the infant’s birth. “If a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother,” Northam said, alluding to the physician and mother discussing whether the born infant should live or die. THAT is fucking murder, as is ANY abortion past 9 weeks and certainly once the fetus reaches higher viability chances… Too bad your mother didn’t consider abortion as an option.. And DON’T quote from a book that you neither believe in nor understand… Congress is a body of men, women and its, they are not scientists nor are they biologists in fact many of them hardly qualify as “intelligent” (THEY put a WOMAN on the SCOTUS who could NOT provide the definition of the word “WOMAN”)… Ultimately no woman is being denied an abortion it has just become more difficult for some than a trip to the local Walmart…

        • MINORS Miner49er. I don’t give a rat’s behind what the US Code says. A “fetus” is a human being capable of life. You Leftists believe that you can snuff out a life based on a woman’s convenience. Sorry, but that is not justification under the best of circumstances.
          Abortion is MURDER. Pure and simple.

      • Don’t want to be pregnant, keep your legs shut.
        Don’t want to sound stupid, keep your mouth shut.

      • Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,

        Newsflash: “A Handmaids Tale” was a work of fiction, but there was the time when the Japanese went on a rampage of rape and murder in China, the Muslim extremists who force girls as young as 11 into marriage and lest we forget what the Russians are doing to women and girls in Ukraine… Denying a healthy woman the alleged “right” to murder an unborn child because it’s inconvenient to be pregnant is NOT slavery, and the involuntary servitude bullshit goes out the window with the abundant availability of a plethora of contraceptive devices and medications… If a woman is too stupid to understand how pregnancy occurs, she should not be permitted out in public alone…

      • No one (particularly government) is forcing pregnancy. That’s just crazy. What’s being forced (by coersion) is abortion.

      • You take the risk, you own up to it. It’s really that simple. If there are no health risks, it’s wrong. Now if you want to discuss healthcare and contraceptives being free to ANYONE, including males who so chose to go that route – then yes. We should work on that. But equality gets trampled over here because “it’s the woman’s body”… even when it’s the males sperm and both entered into the risk of sexual intercourse consensually? Why is it always the woman’s choice if that’s the case? What if the male doesn’t want it and she does? Then it’s just “suck it up, buttercup” for the male? Enlighten me, Miner. How is that fair? If you are going to make the argument that it’s “their body, their choice” then how does any of that factor into it? It doesn’t because your argument chooses to leave it out and exclude ACTUAL EQUALITY. Your argument therefore has a fatal flaw and the underlining cause needs to be addressed to avoid favoritism. In other words, read the first sentence I wrote and read it back to me. There is your answer. Risk management exists the same way, equally, for literally every situation it’s involved in. So how is this special?

      • MINOR Miner49er Sorry old boy, but child birth is something that is NATURAL. No one has the “right” to snuff out a human life without just cause. A baby is a human life which is blameless at birth and while in a woman’s womb. Ip so facto there is no “servitude.” Nice try but that mouthwash just doesn’t cut is to a thinking human being.
        Clearly, you have no clue what personal responsibility is. You have this idea that you can kill off what you don’t like, just because you don’t like it.

  15. Ohio’s had open carry for decades, even before concealed carry. As usual, it hasn’t caused “blood in the streets.”

  16. If I can’t reply to posts then why should I read them? Several absolutely innocuous posts disappeared over the weekend after being “moderated” and I have made several attempts to reply to a post today, used different browsers, cycled the laptop even tried to do it on my phone with the same results…

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