A week ago, Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked whether he’d support a permitless carry measure in Florida, rolling back modest gun safeguards in the state. “I’m for everything,” the Republican governor replied, expressing relative indifference to the details. “I’ve said that from the beginning.”
Seven days later, he followed through and signed a controversial measure into law. NBC News reported:
With little fanfare, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday allowing residents to carry a concealed loaded weapon without a permit. DeSantis signed the bill in a non-public event in his office with only bill sponsors, legislative leaders and gun rights advocates, including the National Rifle Association, in attendance. It was a notable departure for a governor who regularly holds splashy news conferences and bill-signing ceremonies.
It’s almost as if the GOP governor, ahead of his as-yet-unannounced presidential campaign, realizes that signing a bill that lets people carry guns without permits or training might be unpopular with much of the American mainstream.
The new state law, which also does away with background checks and fees for a concealed weapons license, will take effect on July 1.
News organizations were not on hand for the bill signing, but DeSantis did welcome NRA representatives to his office for the event, and Fox News was apparently given an exclusive first look at today’s developments in Tallahassee. (Note, a photo credit in the network’s report went not to the governor’s office or a media photographer, but rather, to the NRA.)
It’s reminiscent of the Florida Republican signing a voter-suppression measure in 2021 at an event in which Fox News was granted exclusive access.
There’s apparently some debate within the far-right about whether the state’s new policy constitutes a so-called “constitutional carry” proposal — DeSantis, the NRA, and Fox described it as such, though Gun Owners of America said the bill DeSantis signed isn’t quite extreme enough — but either way, Floridians are currently required to get a permit in order to carry a concealed firearm, and as of July 1, that requirement will disappear.
NBC News’ report added, “The signing comes one week after six people, including three children were gunned down at The Covenant School in Nashville.” It’s a highly relevant detail, in large part because of the degree to which it fits into a larger pattern. The New York Times had a good report on this last week, noting that in the wake of deadly mass shootings, Republican officials in many states steadily keep expanding access to guns. In Kentucky, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia, Republicans have pushed this year to limit gun-free zones, remove background checks and roll back red-flag laws that seek to remove firearms from those who are a danger to themselves or others. Missouri last year enacted a measure that made it illegal for local law enforcement to cooperate with federal authorities in many gun investigations. A federal judge earlier this month struck down the law as unconstitutional.
And now a permitless carry measure has been signed into law in Florida, too. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 136 mass shootings in the United States so far this year. We’re only 92 days into 2023. In other words, as GOP officials in several states take steps to loosen gun laws, we’re seeing mass shootings, on average, roughly every 16 hours.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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