and know now own firearms. That is a simple fact. When I say most I mean 80%. Some only owned a rifle or a shotgun while others had extensive collections of firearms.
Obviously there are reasonable gun laws and I am not opposed to such legislation. I have few problems with the gun laws in Florida as in my opinion they are quite reasonable. Other gun owners I know also have few complaints although some would like to see open carry permitted.
I do oppose registration of firearms which is actually illegal in Florida and is in the state constitution.
The 2019 Florida Statutes
790.335?Prohibition of registration of firearms; electronic records.—
(1)?LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND INTENT.—
(a)?The Legislature finds and declares that:
1.?The right of individuals to keep and bear arms is guaranteed under both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and s. 8, Art. I of the State Constitution.
2.?A list, record, or registry of legally owned firearms or law-abiding firearm owners is not a law enforcement tool and can become an instrument for profiling, harassing, or abusing law-abiding citizens based on their choice to own a firearm and exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under the United States Constitution. Further, such a list, record, or registry has the potential to fall into the wrong hands and become a shopping list for thieves.
3.?A list, record, or registry of legally owned firearms or law-abiding firearm owners is not a tool for fighting terrorism, but rather is an instrument that can be used as a means to profile innocent citizens and to harass and abuse American citizens based solely on their choice to own firearms and exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under the United States Constitution.
4.?Law-abiding firearm owners whose names have been illegally recorded in a list, record, or registry are entitled to redress.
(b)?The Legislature intends through the provisions of this section to:
1.?Protect the right of individuals to keep and bear arms as guaranteed under both the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and s. 8, Art. I of the State Constitution.
2.?Protect the privacy rights of law-abiding firearm owners.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0790/Sections/0790.335.html
I have known several people from places like New York City. Since it is difficult and costly to legally own firearms these people were not familiar with gun owners and most had a stereotype view until they learned how common firearms are in Florida. Most obtained firearms and we used to go shooting at the range. That is why I made the comment about the poster possible living in a gun unfriendly state or city.
Of course most gun owners support fair and reasonable gun laws but many do not support confiscation of certain types of firearms such as “assault rifles” or semiautomatic firearms. Most of the gun owners I shot with on a regular basis were Republican. I was of course a registered Democrat and one other shooter was also. We used to take a lot of good natured razing.
In general when you consider how many people own firearms in this nation the percentage of people who misuse them is extremely low. One estimate is that 3 in 10 adults personally own firearms. In many cases the husband owns a firearms that his wife uses.
In Florida over 2,000,000 residents have a concealed weapons permit. In order to obtain that permit they have to have some firearms training. It is legal in Florida to carry a loaded handgun in a vehicle without a permit as long as it is securely encased (for example in a glove box). You would think that with that many guns in public or in cars we would have a serious problem with irresponsible gun owners but we don’t.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Licensing
Concealed Weapon/Firearm License Holders by County as of November 30, 2019
https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/7502/file/cw_active.pdf
WHERE CAN I KEEP MY GUN IN MY CAR?
This is a question commonly asked, but rarely able to be answered. You may keep, with or without a license, a firearm in your "private conveyance", otherwise known as a vehicle. Fl. Stat. s. 790.251(5) states "it is lawful and is not a violation of s. 790.01 for a person 18 years of age or older to possess a concealed firearm or other weapon for self-defense or other lawful purpose within the interior of a private conveyance, without a license, if the firearm or other weapon is securely encased or is otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use." The important, and most often misunderstood, parts of this provision are the phrases "securely encased" and "not readily accessible". "Securely encased" means in a glove compartment, whether or not locked; snapped in a holster; in a gun case, whether or not locked; in a zippered gun case; orin a closed box or container which requires a lid or cover to be opened for access. Fl. Stat. 790.001(17) (emphasis added). An important note in the list underlined previously is that whatever you keep your gun in it must be closed but not necessarily locked. Now, there is the second option of storing your gun in your vehicle where it is not "readily accessible for immediate use". "readily accessible for immediate use" is when "a firearm or other weapon is carried on the person or within such close proximity and in such a manner that it can be retrieved and used as easily and quickly as if carried on the person." Fl. Stat. 790.001(16). Keep in mind, this statute does not require you to carry your firearm securely encased and not readily accessible for immediate use; the statute states that either way is lawful. Also, if you do have a concealed carry license, remember, that you can carry it in any place but for those listed previously.
http://www.solerslacklaw.com/Criminal-Defense/Florida-Gun-Law.aspx#car
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