Central Florida sheriffs sound-off on permitless carry law
ORLANDO, Fla. - Starting July 1, Florida’s new permitless carry law goes into effect. Orange County Sheriff John Mina made clear he's not a fan of this new law, and says it may make our streets more dangerous.
"Even though I'm not in favor of permitless carry for a number of reasons, it's still the law. So we're going to enforce it like we normally would," Mina said.
Mina said it may make things tougher for his deputies and people in Orange County. "So it's just going to make it a little more difficult for our deputies because there will be more guns on the streets, more people carrying concealed firearms, so we have concerns about that for our safety and the safety of our citizens."
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd supports the state's new permitless carry law. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," he said.
Both sheriffs say it's critical that Floridians know what's in the law. People carrying a hidden gun must have valid ID with them at all times and must show that ID if a law enforcement officer asks to see it. The gun must be concealed at all times. Only US citizens or resident aliens over age 21 may carry a hidden gun. Permitless carriers must have no felony convictions or other legal disqualifier.
"In Florida, we have lots and lots of good guys, but there are still some bad guys, too," Judd said.
People in downtown Orlando said the new law was unsettling. "I think that operating a gun, something that can kills somebody just like driving a car, you need to go to school for it, to learn how to operate it and learn the repercussions of it. There should be all kinds of safety measures put in place, all kinds of training," said Stacey Marine.
"I get the point of safety," Nikhil Arora said, "we have too much data of people getting hurt. We're now creating a society living in fear. This is not the place we should be."
Sheriffs Mina and Judd urged anyone planning on carrying a hidden gun to get proper training first.