TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Senate passed a bill Thursday that will allow residents to not have a permit to carry concealed firearms.
The bill, SB 150, moved forward in a 27-13 vote. Should the bill become law, it would get rid of the requirement for a Florida resident to have a permit, or training, to conceal carry a gun. However, it would require the person to carry a valid state ID.
The bill is now on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk for final approval.
At the beginning of February, DeSantis told reporters if the bill on "constitutional carry" made it to his desk, he would support the legislation.
Constitutional carry is also another legislative matter the governor stated he's "always supported."
"I believe that law-abiding citizens follow the rules and they try to do their very best they can to uphold those rules and protect those things around them," State Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, the bill's sponsor, said previously. "Criminals are going to criminal. Those who'll commit crimes are going to commit crimes."
However, critics of the bill worry the bill's intention would harm people, instead, and could lead to more people making irresponsible use of guns.
Annie Kwarteng of Tampa lost her son Jay Jay in May 2020 to gun violence. He was just 18 years old.
"I don't know how these kids are getting a hold of these guns," Kwarteng said. "It's gonna be too accessible for them. They're definitely gonna be at risk."
As founder of the Jay Jay Forever Foundation, Inc. in her son's honor, she worries loosened gun laws could also prompt more minors to have guns.
Ahead of the session, close to 70 student advocates, community members, and lawmakers voiced their opposition in Tallahassee. The push for more gun control from advocates has gotten loud this week after the recent mass school shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three students, all 9-years-old.
"When our kids can't even go to school and be safe, it's not the time," Kwarteng said.
State Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Miami-Dade, spoke with 10 Tampa Bay before and said he believes the support for the bill is fracturing because it still bans carrying guns in schools, bars, courthouses, the Capitol gallery and committee meetings.
"This bill strikes the right balance," Collins said previously. "It aligns the benefits and restrictions of concealed carry and those who lawfully want to carry without a license, while at the same time, standardizing processes for school personnel and law enforcement to identify and communicate when a student possesses a significant safety threat. No services and resources can be made available to the parents and students."