WILLISTON, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday by the time he is "done" as leader of the state, Floridians will have a "Constitutional Carry" law.
"Well the one thing I wanted the Legislature to do, and I think we will do it — I can't tell you exactly when — but I'm pretty confident I will be able to sign a 'Constitutional Carry' into law in the State of Florida," DeSantis said at an unrelated news conference in Central Florida.
"Constitutional Carry" laws allow anyone to carry a concealed firearm whether they have a license or not. A bill filed in the Florida House died in committee during the recent Legislative session.
However, DeSantis says he's confident he and Florida lawmakers will be able to enact such a law, and that it's just a matter of time.
"We used to be a leader on 2nd Amendment [rights] — there's like 25 states that have already done it, and I think if you look now, you have a situation where the official in charge of these permits doesn't support 2nd Amendment rights. So why would you want to subcontract your Constitutional rights to a public official who rejects the very existence of those rights?" he continued.
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried's office oversees the state's Division of Licensing. Fried, who is currently running for governor, is the only Democrat elected to a statewide office and has been a vocal opponent of DeSantis.
According to the NRA and DeSantis, 25 states currently have a "Constitutional Carry" law enacted.
"So the Legislature will get it done — I can't tell you if it'll be next week, six months, but I can tell you that before I am done as governor, we will have a signature on that bill," he said.