Amidst increasing mass shootings, Florida allows concealed guns without permit in public
Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting memorial
Even as the United States reels under the burden of copious amounts of mass shootings and deaths due to firearms, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill, allowing residents to carry concealed guns without a permit. The bill as per ABC News gives the Republican a legislative victory as he prepares to run for US president next year. The governor reportedly signed the bill in a private ceremony in his ceremony.
Starting July 1, Floridians who legally own a gun will be able to carry it without requiring a permit. This means that training and background checks will no longer be necessary for carrying a concealed weapon in public.
DeSantis'office in a public comment said that "Constitutional Carry is in the books."
Also read |In Pics | From Nashville to Sandy Hook, deadliest US school shootings which shook the world
The bill comes five years after the then-governor Rick Scott, a Republican, signed a bill imposing gun restrictions in the state. This step was taken after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz on February 14, 2018, opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the Miami suburban town of Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people including students and faculty.
Reacting to DeSantis'bill, Fred Guttenberg, father of Jaime, a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the high school shooting, said "I am pissed."
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Addressing reporters during an online news conference, he said: "I will chase him down across the state as well as possibly across the country ... because Ron DeSantis today put his signature to a bill that guarantees there will be more Jaimes."
"Somebody in Florida may die ... because of this legislation. That will be because of you, Ron DeSantis," he said.
Also read |In Pics | From Nashville to Sandy Hook, deadliest US school shootings which shook the world
Referring to the Florida Governor's signing of the bill behind closed doors, he added, "I understand why you hid today ... You are a weak, pathetic, small-minded individual."
Along the political lines, reactions were divided. While Republicans applauded the bill and said that "law-abiding" citizens should have the right to protect themselves, Democrats and gun safety advocates booed the decision. They say that the decision will make the law more dangerous and will potentially lead to mass shootings like the massacre at the 2016 Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
(With inputs from agencies)
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