New Florida lawmaker from Hillsborough County played crucial role in permitless carry bill
TAMPA, Fla. - Florida joined 25 Governor DeSantis signed a bill allowing gun owners to carry a concealed firearm without a license. Some call it "constitutional carry," including 25 other states with similar laws already on their books.
While the governor gets the headlines, the person largely responsible for the legislation is the Florida Senator from Hillsborough County, Jay Collins.
Sen. Collins told FOX 13's Josh Cascio, "When we look at what this does, this empowers our law-abiding citizens, which is the vast majority of Floridians, to protect their families."
Opponents of permitless carry call the law "reckless and extreme."
It removes the requirement for gun owners to undergo training and obtain a concealed weapons permit, in order to carry a concealed gun.
Sen. Jay Collins behind Gov. Ron DeSantis after signing of Constitutional Carry bill
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be at the mall and have people drawing guns who don’t know how to use them," said Gail Powell-Cope, with Mom’s Demand Action.
Meanwhile, a lesser-publicized aspect of the new law deals with school safety. The armed guardian program is being extended to protect private schools, if they want to pay for it. It also creates a pathway for schools to deploy gun-sniffing dogs through a new Florida Safe Schools Canine Program.
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"Think of this as a labradoodle with a side job," Sen. Collins explained. "This is not an attack dog. This is not a vicious dog. This is a public-private partnership."
Collins is a first-year Republican lawmaker. Back in November, the former Army Green Beret scored a significant electoral victory when he defeated longtime Democratic powerhouse Janet Cruz.
"From my very first bill that passes to be one of this magnitude is pretty exciting. And it's a blessing," Sen. Collins said.
The law goes into effect July 1.