‘Nobody’s asking for this’: Democratic Parkland leaders bash court decision ending Florida’s open carry ban

On the heels of a ruling by an appellate court ending all restrictions on the open carry of firearms in Florida^[1], several elected Democratic officials from Parkland — the site of the state’s deadliest school shooting — are bashing the decision as dangerous.

The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday that Florida’s statutory limits on carrying guns for self-defense violate the Second Amendment.

A spokesperson for Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office, the appellee in the case, said he will not seek a rehearing or Florida Supreme Court review.

What does that mean? Residents and visitors in Florida, already nicknamed the “Gunshine State^[2]” for having the most concealed carry permits in the country, are going to see a lot more guns and rifles on the street.

That’s not a good thing, said Sen. Tina Polsky.

“More guns make us unsafe, and people fly off the handle in road rage, over shopping carts,” she said. “If you have a gun at the ready on your hip right there at Publix, it’s really dangerous.”

Polsky noted that the Florida Sheriff’s Association has long opposed^[3] open carry^[4], adding that she disagreed with the court’s reading of the Second Amendment.

“So, I think it’s our duty as a Legislature to continue to put safety above everything else and make sure we have reasonable gun regulations,” she said. “It’s bad enough that we got rid of the concealed weapons permit^[5]. The Governor is just going to continue trying to collect political points by going to the far right on this issue.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated the ruling shortly after^[6] it was handed down Wednesday.

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who served as Parkland Mayor when a teen shooter murdered 17 people and injured 18 others^[7] at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018, said people don’t want open carry.

“I’m out in my community regularly at town halls and events. Nobody’s asking for this,” she said. “Yet, the things people are asking for like affordability issues — property insurance, utilities, cost of living, access to affordable health care — seem to go ignored.”

Hunschofsky questioned how hard, if at all, Uthmeier’s Office fought the appeal by Pensacola man Stan McDaniels challenging the state’s open carry ban. In March, the appointed Attorney General said he wouldn’t defend Florida’s ban on under-21 gun purchases^[8]. In a social media post Wednesday, he called the court’s ruling “a big win^[9].”

“You have to wonder how hard he fought to uphold the law,” she said. “This ruling goes against other rulings we’ve already had previously on this matter. And again, I’m not hearing from people in droves who want this. I’ve spoken to police about it, different departments, and I have never heard support for it.”

Rep. Dan Daley, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High graduate and self-described “responsible gun owner,” said the ruling isn’t about rights.

“It’s about reckless politics that make our communities less safe,” he said. “Hard-line conservatives may celebrate this ruling, but Floridians should not mistake it for progress.”

Polsky, Hunschofsky and Daley have all filed numerous bills over the years to strengthen Florida’s eroding restrictions on firearms.

Parkland Vice Mayor Jordan Isrow said the appellate court’s decision is rooted in precedent. But he contended that it was “focused too myopically on the past, without meaningful regard for the modern reality of gun violence and societal context in which this Open Cary Ban was enacted.”

“Historically speaking, it is true our Nation never previously had to worry as much about regulating citizens’ firearms, because there was never the same degree of risk then that fellow citizens would maliciously use their firearms against one another — as opposed to a foreign enemy,” he said by email.

“With gun violence now being one of the leading causes of death in our country, and the unthinkable number of mass shootings happening almost on what feels like a daily basis — including the horrific tragedy that took place right in my backyard at Marjory Stoneman Douglas — the circumstances are dramatically different in today’s world. When our right to Life is at stake, I am of the belief that our right to Liberty must yield to the first priority of government — keeping citizens alive.”

Parkland sits in Broward County, Florida’s bluest county.

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