Rep. Christine Hunchofsky, D-Parkland, said her bill (HB 63) is intended to close a "perceived loophole" created by the 1st District Court of Appeal's ruling in a case known as McDaniels v. State of Florida. Part of the fallout from the ruling involves a longstanding law allowing concealed-weapons licenses.
That law included prohibitions on carrying handguns into certain places but does not address long guns, such as rifles.
In an interview with The News Service of Florida, Hunchofsky said she filed the bill for the 2026 legislative session to clear up uncertainty about the ruling. "Right now, everybody's scrambling.
We have differing opinions and we just want to bring some clarity to this, and especially given the time we're in, we need to have this clarity," said Hunchofsky, who is slated to take over as House minority leader after the 2026 elections.
Without a legislative fix, the ruling might allow people to openly carry rifles, shotguns and other long guns into places that are off-limits to handguns, including courthouses, legislative meetings, school board meetings, jails, police stations and bars.
Hunchofsky said that lawmakers never intended to allow guns to be brought into such spaces.
House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, have not indicated whether they intend to address the issue during the session that begins Jan. 13. The interpretation of the ruling's impact has sparked debate among law-enforcement officials, gun-rights advocates and local government officials.
No comments:
Post a Comment