When was the final language of the Second Amendment agreed upon? James Madison presented the first version, and the Committee of House of Representative provided the house’s final language to the Senate in August 1789. Then the senate modified the language and passed and transmitted the second amendment to states in late September 1789. The September 1789 Second Amendment version remains today and reads:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
This amendment in Florida along with multiple other states was considered infringed upon with the state requiring concealed weapon permits. However, Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature amended Constitutional Carry by passing and signing House Bill 543. Floridians can now carry concealed weapons without a government issued permit, making Florida the 26th State to enact Constitutional Carry. The bill will go into effect on July 1, 2023. The bill does carry specific provisions in which the carry is allowed and does carry punishable offenses.
House Bill 543 amends Florida Statue 790.01, “ to authorize a person to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm if he or she has a valid concealed weapon license, or does not have a concealed weapon license, but otherwise satisfies the criteria for receiving and maintaining a concealed weapon license, except that such person is not required to demonstrate competency with a firearm or affirmatively state that he or she desires a legal means to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm for lawful self-defense.”
“The bill creates s. 790.013, F.S., to require a person who carries a concealed weapon or concealed firearm without a concealed weapon license to:
• Carry valid identification at all times when he or she is in actual possession of a concealed weapon or concealed firearm and display such identification upon demand by a law enforcement officer, a violation of which is punishable as a noncriminal violation and a $25 fine; and
• Obey the prohibition against carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in certain locations where a person with a concealed weapon license is not currently authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm, a violation of which is punishable as a second degree misdemeanor.
The bill amends Florida Statue 790.06, to require a concealed weapon license holder, like a person authorized to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm without a license under the bill, to carry only a valid identification while in actual possession of a concealed weapon or concealed firearm. The bill leaves the remainder of the concealed weapon licensing scheme in place to allow a person who chooses to obtain a concealed weapon license to continue to receive the benefits of licensure, such as the ability to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in another state through reciprocity agreements or to receive an exemption from the required three-day waiting period between the purchase and delivery of a firearm. “
This bill also provides safety funding to the Department of Education. The bill funds the new Threat Management Portal with $5 million in recurring general revenue funds and $7 million in nonrecurring general revenue funds to procure a cloud-based secure statewide information sharing system that meets the requirements of the threat management portal bill. The bill established the Department of Education Office of Safe Schools with $1,207,321 in recurring general revenue funds and $70,525 in nonrecurring general revenue funds for new and existing positions and workload expenses for the Office of Safe Schools. The bill also provides $400,000 in recurring general revenue to update school safety training infrastructure. Finally the bill provides each school district with a minimum allocation of $42,000 for school hardening grants limiting the use of the funds to capital expenditures.
This bill upheld the 2nd Amendment and provided some additional safety measures and fundings for our schools. Before you exercise your Constitution Carry right, please be well informed on the requirements as there are many prohibited places in which carry is not permitted. If you have questions, please contact a law enforcement professional. Education of the issue will keep you safe and our community safe. This article is only a summary of the complex bill and this concludes another week of The Straight Truth.