Despite the increase in violence in the United States, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation today removing license requirements for carrying concealed firearms in that region.
Under the new rule, people can carry a lethal device without having to meet previously mandated requirements such as prior training or background checks.
The legislation also includes a provision that would allow private schools to participate in a controversial program ostensibly to increase their security and allow armed “guards” to be present on campus.
The measure had the support of numerous law enforcement officials in the region and the National Rifle Association, which called its approval a “historic” victory, according to a detailed report by CBS News.
This makes Florida the 26th state in the country to enact a gun-carrying law without a license.
DeSantis’ signing comes just a week after a school shooting in Nashville, Tenn., killed three nine-year-old children and three adults.
As police authorities revealed in the wake of the elementary school tragedy, 28-year-old gunman Audrey Elizabeth Hale bought the seven guns she legally owned, a possibility some attribute to lax policies in place there.
In recent years, Republicans in the state legislature have passed a number of measures that have weakened regulations, eliminated some licensing requirements, and allowed most residents to carry loaded guns in public without licensing, training, or screening.
While the regulations encourage a wider spread of bullets, 429 children under the age of 17 have lost their lives in the country so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archives website.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, as of 2020, firearms have overtaken motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death among infants.