Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed Church Carry into law recently and it will go into effect immediately.
H.B. 259, the Church Carry bill, “authorizes persons who have concealed weapons or firearms licenses to carry firearms on property of churches, synagogues, or any other religious institutions, unless specifically prohibited to do so by the church, synagogue, religious institution, or other property owner,” reported the NRA Institute for Legislative Action.
Lawmakers had debated the issue repeatedly in recent years, but thanks to the tireless work of Second Amendment-supporting legislators—especially Rep. Cord Byrd (R) and Rep. Jayer Williamson (R)—and NRA members, it was finally passed and sent to the governor’s desk.
“Florida law generally allows people to carry concealed weapons at churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions, but it bars being armed on school properties. That leads to people being prevented from carrying guns on properties shared by religious institutions and schools,” reported The News Service of Florida.
This bill remedies that by closing this “loophole” and improving safety at religious institutions, according to Sen. Joe Gruters (R), who sponsored the Florida Senate version of the bill.
“As Americans, we have the right to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities, and we should never be defenseless – especially during religious gatherings,” tweeted the NRA.
As Second Amendment supporters are well aware, “gun-free zones” might as well be labeled “victim zones.” Thankfully, the signing of this law by Gov. DeSantis removes one more barrier to Floridians’ ability to exercise their constitutional rights.
