As your Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America (GOA), I’m hunkering down just as you are and riding out the storm. Remember, our nation’s motto is e pluribus unum and that means out of many, one. Together, we will help one another recover from the hurricane, because we’re all Floridians.

As a Floridian and a responsible gun owner, I wanted to inform you of your Second Amendment rights under the current laws.

• FLORIDA IS NOT AN OPEN CARRY STATE. YOU CANNOT LEGALLY OPEN CARRY OUTSIDE OF YOUR PROPERTY (HOME AND/OR BUSINESS) AND IF YOU DO OPEN CARRY, LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL ARREST YOU.
• FLORIDA IS NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY STATE. YOU STILL NEED A PERMIT TO CARRY A FIREARM.
• IF YOU ARE IN THE ACT OF EVACUATING UNDER A MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER DURING A DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY. YOU MAY CARRY A FIREARM CONCEALED FOR 48 HOURS FROM THE MOMENT OF ISSUENCE OF THE EVACUATION ORDER. THIS MEANS YOU MUST HAVE YOUR RESIDENCE IN A DECLARED MANDATORY EVACUATION ZONE WHEN A DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS ISSUED. IF NOT, YOU CAN BE ARRESTED FOR CARRYING WITHOUT A PERMIT.
• FLORIDA IS A STAND YOUR GROUND STATE. YOU HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT PROTECT YOURSELF, YOUR LOVED ONES, AND YOUR PROPERTY.

Again, as GOA’s Florida State Director, I’m facing the same storm you are. Together, we’ll get through this and together we’ll make Florida a better state when the next legislative session happens. Together we’ll get Constitutional Carry passed so we don’t have to worry about the whole issue of mandatory evac zones, carry permits, or concealing our firearms when we’re trying to protect our hearth and home.

In Liberty,

Luis Valdes
Florida State Director
Gun Owners of America

P.S. Please distribute this alert to your pro-gun family and friends and please, be safe during and after the storm. To renew your GOA membership or to join for the first time, please click here.

Article by Luis Valdes