Open carry of firearms officially became law in Florida on Thursday, but gun owners should be aware that it comes with some stipulations.
This comes after a Florida appeals court on Sept. 10 struck down the state’s open carry ban, saying it violated the Second Amendment.
- 1. Any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05
- 2. Any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station
- 3. Any detention facility, prison or jail
- 4. Any courthouse
- 5. Any courtroom, except that nothing in this section precludes a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or concealed firearm or determining who will carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm in his or her courtroom
- 6. Any polling place
- 7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district
- 8. Any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof
- 9. Any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms
- 10. Any elementary or secondary school facility or administration building
- 11. Any career center
- 12. Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose;
- 13. Any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile
- 14. The inside of the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft
- 15. Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law
Excellent article from the NRA on Florida Open Carry:
Florida Statues governing gun laws in Florida:
In addition open carry, Florida became a constitutional carry state in April of 2023 and joined 29 other states that allow its citizens to carry a concealed firearm on your body without a permit. The most recent states to join this group were Louisiana and South Carolina, which implemented their laws in 2024:
https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/543
