Overview

• After a Sept. 10 appeals court decision striking down Florida’s open‑carry ban, Attorney General James Uthmeier told prosecutors and police that open carry is now the law and many agencies have paused enforcement of the ban still on the books.
• Lawyers and police leaders say the ruling complicates the statute governing prohibited places because it is tied to concealed‑license language, creating uncertainty over where open carry is barred.
• A memo from the Florida Police Chiefs Association’s counsel says a gap appears to prevent enforcement of a ban on openly carried long guns in some otherwise prohibited locations.
• Sheriffs caution that restrictions still apply, noting private businesses may forbid firearms and that improper exhibition of a weapon remains a crime under state law.
• Florida Carry urges discretion until the Legislature meets in January to consider fixes, while employers review policies under a separate law that protects locked firearms in parking lots and bars retaliation.