Q&A of the Day – Is Florida’s New Law Really Constitutional Carry & Will it Reduce Crime?
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
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Today’s Entry: What are the real crime stat differences in States that go from concealed permit to Constitutional carry? And can they be pinpointed to the change in policy if any change is noticed in any direction?
Bottom Line: It’s a good question. And it's consistent with the line of questioning I’ve received since the Public Safety, or what some refer to as Constitutional Carry legislation, was first proposed in January. Now that the bill has been signed into law, taking effect July 1st, it’s a good time to address what we can expect to see in our state based on what we’ve seen happen in other states which have adopted similar policy over the years. But first, it’s worth noting that many 2nd Amendment rights activists within the state don’t really consider this to be Constitutional Carry. For many, CC means an allowance for the open carrying of firearms which Florida’s new law doesn’t include. Essentially Florida’s new law drops the requirement to obtain a CCW permit in order to legally conceal carry, with little else changing. A leading voice in Florida espousing that position is Matt Collins of Florida Gun Rights who had this to say upon the signing of the legislation into law by Governor DeSantis:
This bill is a half-measure and is not what gun owners were promised. It isn't true Constitutional Carry because it doesn't include an open carry provision. This bill is weak and failed leadership on part of Governor DeSantis and the Republican legislative leadership. Gun owners deserve better.
Notably, Governor DeSantis has said he’d be willing to call a special session to consider open carry if it had the votes – which at present it doesn’t. An amendment to the bill introducing open carry was pulled. So, there’s an open debate as to whether Florida’s new law should be characterized as Constitutional Carry. As for what we’ve learned from states where similar laws have passed...
- 25 states currently allow permitless carrying of firearms
- 52 accredited studies of the impact of permitless carry states have been conducted
- Of these, 25 have found that these laws reduce violent crime while 12 found the laws increase violent crime. The remaining studies found no significant effect.
When boiled down to measured results we see...
- 48% of the time there’s been a net reduction in crime with permitless carry laws
- 23% of the time there’s been a net increase in crime with permitless carry laws
- 29% of the time there’s been no measurable impact in crime with permitless carry laws
The net effect of all studies is a reduction in violent crime with permitless carry laws in place. And it stands to reason that the net effect of permitless carry laws has been a reduction in violent crime. It’s consistent with record gun ownership rates, as currently measured by CCW active permits in Florida corresponding directly with progressively lower crime rates, achieving a 50-year low most recently. And why specifically was this determined to be the case? From the summation study of the studies... If people carry concealed weapons, potential attackers will not be able to discern if the intended victim is armed. Criminals are therefore deterred from committing violent crime. This is where a strong argument can be made that open carry would provide even more benefit by clearly showing would-be criminals that there are capable people around. The fact remains that criminals, not guns, commit crimes. Thus, more people with guns doesn’t equal more crime. Most commonly, as has been evidenced, it’s the opposite.