Monique Miller to file open carry legislation in House

An open carry bill will be filed in the House, though its sponsor acknowledges the gun rights legislation may face resistance.

Rep. Monique Miller, a Palm Bay Republican, said she has a bill in drafting that would allow anyone in Florida to openly carry firearms. She said the issue is especially important in the state for women who own guns.

“Sometimes women have to choose between protecting themselves and what they want to wear that day,” Miller said. “Women have to worry that if they have a gun showing they could face 60 days in jail.”

This isn’t the first time there has been a push for open carry legislation in the House. Former Rep. Joel Rudman late last year filed an open carry bill, but it was withdrawn when he resigned from the House to run for Congress.

Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly said he would sign an open carry bill, and even hinted at calling a Special Session for such a policy when he was running for President in 2023. The same year, he signed a permitless carry measure.

But that Special Session never happened, in part because Senate leadership has remained opposed to taking up such legislation.

Senate President Ben Albritton signaled in November that the upper chamber’s position has not changed.

“I’ve supported law enforcement my entire life. It’s the way I was raised,” Albritton told media, pointing to law enforcement groups that oppose open carry. “And I’ve been super consistent as a legislator to support law enforcement in Florida, and I encourage you to check that record.”

Miller said she recognizes that not everybody in the Legislature thinks the time is right to consider open carry legislation. But she hopes it will be discussed this year.

“It is my sincere hope Florida can join the other 45 states that have some form of open carry in the country,” she said.

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