Florida Lawmakers Eye gun-Free Zone Laws Following Open Carry Ruling
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A recent Florida court decision striking down the state’s ban โคon open carry is raising questions โคabout the scope of existing gun-free zone laws and whether a legal gap now existsโ regarding long guns. While Florida became an open carry state in September, current statutes specifically โprohibit the open carry of handguns and concealed weapons in designated gun-free zones – but remain silent on openly carried long guns like rifles and shotguns.
The ambiguity has prompted at leastโค one state lawmaker to seek clarification. โRepresentative Christine hunschofsky (D) expressed โconcernโ that the current law โcould inadvertently allow individuals to carry long guns into locations โขwhere other firearms are prohibited. “The law never mentioned โlong guns because we had an open carry ban in the state of Florida,” Hunschofsky explained. “So a long gun โlike an AR-15 is not considered โคa handgun, and you couldn’tโ conceal it. It was never mentioned in that statute.”
Hunschofsky is proposing legislation to broaden the language ofโฃ gun-free zone regulations to โขencompass all firearms,โฃ regardless of whether they are openly carried or concealed.
Incoming Houseโค Speaker Designate Sam Garrison (R-Fleming Island) acknowledgedโฃ the need for legislative review. “We are about as strong a โขSecond Amendment state as you’re ever going to see,” Garrison stated. “That’s never going to change. The question going forward is, what do we do considering the court ruling? And we’re trying to figure that out.”
However, not all groups agree on the path forward. Luis Valdes,ofโข Gun โฃOwners of America,argued against expanding restrictions,asserting that “Gun-free zones don’t workโฆCriminalsโ don’t care. They break the law – an imaginary lineโค doesn’t stopโข them.”
As of now, lawmakers have not indicated whether they โwill take action to address the potentialโ loophole concerning long guns in โgun-free zones. The 2026 legislative session is scheduled to begin in January.
