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Florida's new Senate president says no to an open carry law

Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, answers a question in the Fiscal Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla.
Phil Sears
/
AP
Sen. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, answers a question in the Fiscal Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla.

Saying he is aligned with the position of law-enforcement officials, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, expressed opposition Tuesday to allowing people to openly carry firearms in Florida.

“Let me be clear about this, I’ve supported law enforcement my entire life. It’s the way I was raised, and I’ve been super-consistent as a legislator to support law enforcement in Florida. And I’d encourage you to check that record,” Albritton told reporters after an organization session in which he became president. “And I stand with them today in opposition. They oppose it. I trust my law-enforcement officials, and that’s where I stand.”

Floridians can carry concealed weapons, but lawmakers have stopped short of allowing openly carrying firearms. Second Amendment groups have long sought an open-carry law.