| Virginia McCallum, Bradenton Letter Published in the Sarasota Herald Tribune |
| For over 30 years, Florida has protected its citizens by prohibiting the open carry of handguns, rifles and shotguns in public. Currently, Floridians need a concealed-carry permit to carry a handgun outside of their home. On Saturday, July 1, a new law allowing concealed carry without a permit goes into effect. This law removes requirements for safety training, background checks and state licensing before a person can carry a loaded concealed firearm in public. Floridians are now supposed to self-monitor and only carry a concealed weapon if they would have qualified under the old rules. More than 16,000 concealed-carry permit requests have been denied, suspended or revoked since July 1, 2022, but all those unqualified people – and more – will be able to more easily carry their firearms in many public places starting July 1. Every day, more than 120 Americans are killed by gun violence, and more than 200 are wounded, according to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. In Florida, there are 2,849 gun deaths every year, a rate of 13.3 deaths per 100,000 people. In short, our state has the 19th-highest rate of gun violence in the U.S., according to Everytown for Gun Safety. Floridians and visitors beware: There will soon be more guns carried publicly by unqualified people, making us less safe. |
| Virginia McCallum is the League of Women Voters of Manatee County (LWVMC) Government Action Team Chair and active in the LWVMC Gun Violence Prevention Action Team. Ginger also volunteers for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America Manasota. For questions, or if you wish to participate in the LWVMC Gun Action Team activities (meetings, advocating, tabling, doing presentations on gun violence prevention, etc) email info@lwvmanatee.org. |
