The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence released the following statement in support of legislation proposed by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried earlier this week, which seeks to improve the safety standards for Florida’s concealed weapons licensing program.
“Given the documented problems with respect to how background checks were conducted for concealed weapons permits under the prior administration, we applaud Commissioner Fried’s proposals to improve safety standards for Florida’s concealed weapons licensing program,” said Angie Gallo and Andy Pelosi, co-chairs of The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.
“As of September 2019, Florida leads the nation in the number of concealed weapons permits with over 2.2 million[i]. The Commissioner’s legislative proposals include: 1) fingerprint retention for all concealed weapons license renewals; 2) reducing the renewal period from seven to five years to align with federal retention requirements, and 3) requiring a concealed weapons license course at renewal. We believe that Commissioner Fried is on the right track towards enhancing public safety. Our Coalition will work to persuade the legislature to pass the Commissioner’s proposed changes during the upcoming session.”
About The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence
The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence was co-founded by the League of Women Voters of Florida and The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus after the Pulse Night Club shooting in 2016 to promote smart gun legislation. It has grown to include more than 100 local, state, and national organizations and includes such diverse groups as the Florida PTA, Equality Florida, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
[i] [i] According to the Violence Policy Center’s Concealed Carry Killers’ database, since 2007, Florida leads the nation with 84 deaths committed by those with concealed weapons permits. See: concealedcarrykillers.org/florida
