(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
In April, Tom Knighton reported on proposed bills which would expand Florida’s carry laws. On June 29, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a package of 94 bills into law. Among the bills, CS/CS/HB 259 – Safety of Religious Institutions, also known as a “church carry” bill, was included. What does HB 259 do? From the bill text:
Notwithstanding any other law, for the purposes of safety, security, personal protection, or any other lawful purpose, a person licensed under this section may carry a concealed weapon or firearm on property owned, rented, leased, borrowed, or lawfully used by a church, synagogue, or other religious institution. This subsection does not limit the private property rights of a church, synagogue, or other religious institution to exercise control over property that the church, synagogue, or other religious institution owns, rents, leases, borrows, or lawfully uses.
The moment of silence heard around the nation
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The moment of silence heard around the nation
christianpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from christianpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Senate sponsor Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, said the bill closes a “loophole.”
“This is about safety,” Gruters said. “We saw what happened in Texas when a church, unfortunately, was the target. Six seconds it took them to secure that location. This gives schools the needed safety they need. It gives churches the additional security that they need. This gives the property owners the ultimate responsibility to make the decision that s best for them.”
Democrat countered the proposal won’t improve safety.
“It s a fallacy, Dirty Harry, Rambo. John McClane aren t going to be rising up in a church and taking out the bad guy,” Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, said. “When you’ve got more guns, you ve got more danger, period. These are religious institutions. They re supposed to be peaceful places of worship. Why anybody would bring a gun to a church is beyond me.”