Florida just joined the open carry column, and the legal landscape there is tighter than most people realize going in.

"If a private landowner or a private business clearly states that you are not allowed to carry a gun, and someone at the establishment says that you have to leave, you have to leave. If you don't leave then you become what's known as an armed trespasser and that is a third degree felony in the State of Florida, which is a very, very serious felony."

That's not a technicality — that's a felony charge waiting for someone who thinks standing their ground in a Walgreens parking lot makes them a patriot. The right to carry doesn't override a private property owner's right to kick you out, and confusing those two things in Florida now has real consequences.

Five-plus years for refusing to leave a business. Read that sentence again before you strap on a full-size pistol and head to a strip mall in Tampa.

For Idaho folks who travel, this is worth understanding before you visit. We've got our own framework here — constitutional carry, private property rules that work similarly — but Florida's enforcement environment and their felony threshold for armed trespass makes this a situation where the margin for "I didn't know" is basically zero.

Anyone been to Florida recently or planning a trip — curious how the open carry shift is being received down there at gun shops and ranges, and whether businesses are actually posting notices or just assuming people know the rules.

Read the full article in The Handbook → | By Steve Duskett