MONTICELLO, FL — A court ruling overturned Florida’s longstanding ban on open carry. Now, guns once concealed can legally be worn in plain sight.
- Florida’s open carry law officially took effect Thursday.
- Law-abiding gun owners can now carry firearms openly in public spaces.
- Watch the video below to hear what one gun owner thinks about the ruling and what one local sheriff is saying.
Florida’s open carry law takes effect, prompting public safety concerns
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's a new era for gun laws in Florida with open carry now legal. And some neighbors are concerned.
"Open carry I think is just going to open up a can of worms for more violence," Jefferson County neighbor Henry Gohlke said.
A court ruling earlier this month wiped away Florida’s longtime ban on open carry.
Starting Thursday, anyone legally allowed to own a firearm can wear it openly in public.
"It could be very intimidating to the average citizen, not knowing whether the person carrying a gun is qualified and trained properly on how to use it. Also, how many guns are we going to have in open carry up and down the streets," Gohlke said.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mac McNeill says the new rule doesn’t give everyone a free pass.
His office has been briefing deputies on who is still prohibited and where the law doesn’t apply.
"If you’re a convicted felon, if you have a domestic violence injunction against you, if you have been deemed mentally defective by a court, all those bans are still in place. People are going to see people with firearms out in open carry, and they’re going to see them wearing their pistols on their side. It’s just something they’re going to have to get used to," McNeill said.
For some neighbors, the biggest change isn’t in the law, it’s in the sightlines.
Firearms that were concealed yesterday may be visible today, and that’s something not everyone is comfortable with.
"I have guns myself. Would I open carry? I don’t believe so. I think I’d more concealed carry only when I feel I should or need to," Gohlke said.
Sheriff McNeill says so far, calls to his office have been minimal. But he’s watching closely as the community adjusts to this new chapter.
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