Second Amendment groups file for summary judgment in bid to overturn Florida's open carry ban
A Palm Beach gun owner and two Second Amendment groups have filed a motion for summary judgement in their federal court challenge to Florida's law banning individuals from openly carrying firearms, claiming the law is unconstitutional.
Gun Owners of America, the Gun Owners Foundation, and gun owner Richard Hughes originally filed their lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida last August, alleging that the law banning open carry violates the Second and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution and places them, their members, and their supporters at risk of being arrested and prosecuted should they openly carry firearms in public.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro is the lone defendant in the case. In their lawsuit, Hughes and the two gun rights organizations list him because the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office warned the public after the state legalized what is known as 'permitless carry' in 2023 that '[t]he law is not open carry; open carry is still illegal under most circumstances.'
In 2017, the Florida Supreme Court upheld state restrictions on openly carrying a firearm, ruling in Norman v. State that the law did not violate citizens' Second Amendment rights in a case brought by Dale Lee Norman, a St. Lucie County resident who faced a second-degree misdemeanor charge after he walked down a road with handgun holstered to his hip, according to the Courthouse News Service.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The federal lawsuit says that state Supreme Court ruling failed on a couple of fronts: for 'not once consulting contemporaneous authorities to discern the meaning of the Second Amendment's text' and for failure to conduct an historical analysis of the 'nation's early tradition as to open carry — or any tradition, for that matter.'
'This case is personal for me and millions of gun owners across the state,' said Luis Valdes, Florida state director for Gun Owners of America. 'Florida likes to brand itself as pro-Second Amendment, but this ban proves otherwise. We are fighting to restore a right that never should've been taken away — and we won't stop until every Floridian can carry openly, freely, and constitutionally.'
'Florida's open carry ban is an outdated and unconstitutional relic,' Sam Parades said in a statement on behalf of the board of directors for Gun Owners Foundation. 'The right to bear arms means exactly that — to carry arms, not just to keep them locked away.'
Florida remains one of only five states in the nation that bans the open carrying of a firearm, the others being Illinois, Connecticut, New York, and California — a list of blue states that Florida does not usually share an alliance with.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has said on several occasions that he supports open carry, and First Lady Casey DeSantis weighed in as well earlier this year, writing on X that, 'It's time for the Free State of Florida to join other states in enacting open carry! Sounds like a great priority for our GOP supermajority. This is the year.'
But it wasn't the year for open carry in Florida's GOP-dominated state Legislature. Senate President Ben Albritton stated his opposition to overturning the ban in his first day as leader while meeting with reporters last November.
A trial date has been set for November 3, 2025.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Google partners with Youngkin and offers AI training courses to Virginia job seekers
RESTON, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced on Tuesday that Google will partner with his administration to provide free and low-cost artificial intelligence certification courses to Virginians as part of his office's ongoing effort to connect citizens to new jobs amid changes to the state's economy. The partnership, which he has described as an AI career launchpad, will provide Google-sponsored AI training courses for up to 10,000 Virginians at any given time, officials said at Google's office in the northern part of the state. The training opportunities will be listed on a job website that Youngkin launched earlier this year, in response to significant layoffs among federal workers by the Trump administration, including many workers from Virginia. 'All fields, all career movements somewhere along the way, are going to incorporate this next generation of technology,' Youngkin said at the news conference. The initiative comes with unemployment rising in Virginia, which has roughly 20,400 continued unemployment claims, state Secretary of Labor George' Bryan' Slater said after the news conference. Roughly 2,800 people initially filed unemployment claims during the first week of July, which is about 6.1 percent higher than the previous week. The AI webpage will feature the free courses as well as some low-cost learning opportunities, ranging 'from beginner friendly courses on AI fundamentals and practical workplace applications of artificial intelligence to bootcamps and degree programs offered by Virginia's leading-edge community colleges and universities,' according to the governor's office. Nicole Overley, commissioner of Virginia Works, said businesses have told her office that AI proficiency has become increasingly necessary in their industries. She said the training would help Virginians become competitive in the job markets where these very businesses are hiring. Overly confirmed that the training courses won't cost taxpayers anything and are being donated by Google. Bronagh Friel, head of partnerships at Google, said she was proud of the collaboration with the state. 'Google is committed to championing economic growth and opportunity in Virginia,' she said. ___ Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Federal agency shifts stance on transgender discrimination complaints, but hurdles remain
The federal agency responsible for enforcing laws against workplace discrimination will allow some complaints filed by transgender workers to move forward, shifting course from earlier guidance that indefinitely stalled all such cases, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press. The email was sent earlier this month to leaders of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with the subject line 'Hot Topics,' in which Thomas Colclough, director of the agency's Office of Field Programs, announced that if new transgender worker complaints involve 'hiring, discharge or promotion, you are clear to continue processing these charges.' But even those cases will still be subject to higher scrutiny than other types of workplace discrimination cases, requiring approval from President Donald Trump's appointed acting agency head Andrea Lucas, who has said that one of her priorities would be 'defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights.' Since Trump regained office in January, the EEOC has moved away from its prior interpretation of civil rights law, marking a stark contrast to a decade ago when the agency issued a landmark finding that a transgender civilian employee of the U.S. Army had been discriminated against because her employer refused to use her preferred pronouns or allow her to use bathrooms based on her gender identity. Under Lucas's leadership, the EEOC has dropped several lawsuits on behalf of transgender workers. Lucas defended that decision during her June 18 Senate committee confirmation hearing in order to comply with the president's executive order declaring two unchangeable sexes. However, she acknowledged that a 2020 Supreme Court ruling — Bostock v. Clayton County — 'did clearly hold that discriminating against someone on the basis of sex included firing an individual who is transgender or based on their sexual orientation.' Colclough acknowledged in his July 1 email that the EEOC will consider transgender discrimination complaints that 'fall squarely under' the Supreme Court's ruling, such as cases involving hiring, firing and promotion. The email backtracked on an earlier policy, communicated verbally, that de-prioritized all transgender cases. The EEOC declined to comment on the specifics of its latest policy, saying: 'Under federal law, charge inquiries and charges of discrimination made to the EEOC are confidential. Pursuant to Title VII and as statutorily required, the EEOC is, has been, and will continue to accept and investigate charges on all bases protected by law, and to serve those charges to the relevant employer." But even the cases that the EEOC is willing to consider under Bostock must still be reviewed by a senior attorney advisor, and then sent to Lucas for final approval. This heightened review process is not typical for other discrimination charges and reflects the agency's increased oversight for gender identity cases, former EEOC commissioner Chai Feldblum told The AP in a Monday phone interview. 'It is a slight improvement because it will allow certain claims of discrimination to proceed," Feldblum said of the new policy. 'But overall it does not fix a horrific and legally improper situation currently occurring at the EEOC.' Colclough's email did not clarify how long the review process might take, or whether cases that include additional claims, such as harassment or retaliation, would be eligible to proceed, and the EEOC declined to address those questions. "This is not the EEOC being clear to either its own staff or to the public what charges are going to be processed," Feldblum said. 'This is not a panacea." ________ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Claire Savage, The Associated Press
American Military News
2 hours ago
- American Military News
Video: Israel strikes Syrian military tanks
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Tuesday that it conducted strikes against Syrian military tanks in the southern region of Syria on Monday. The Israeli strikes come amid rising tension between the Syrian government and Bedouin tribes and the Druze militias. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the Israel Defense Forces tweeted, 'Following the directive of the political echelon, a short while ago, the IDF began striking military vehicles belonging to Syrian regime forces in the area of As Suwayda in southern Syria. This follows yesterday evening's identification of Syrian regime convoys, including armored personnel carriers and tanks, moving toward the area of As-Suwayda in southern Syria.' 'The IDF struck several armored fighting vehicles consisting of tanks, APCs, and MLRS, as well as access roads, in order to disrupt the convoys' arrival to the area,' the Israel Defense Forces added. 'We continue to monitor the developments while remaining ready and prepared for various scenarios.' A video shared on social media shows an Israeli strike against a Syrian military tank. 🚨 Israel 🇮🇱🎗 IDF Operations – Northern IAF has struck several Syrian 🇸🇾 tanks advancing on Druze positions in Sweida, Southern Syria Israel has vowed to protect the Druze in Syria. Today a message was sent to the Syrian regime. — The Consultant (@TheConsultant18) July 15, 2025 According to The Associated Press, recent fighting between militia groups in the Syrian province of Sweida has resulted in dozens of people being killed. The outlet noted that security forces sent to the province on Monday by the Syrian government engaged in clashes with the local militias. The Associated Press reported that the Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed that over 30 people have been killed and almost 100 people have been wounded due to the violence in the region. According to the outlet, the conflict in Syria started with a clash between the Sunni Bedouin and Druze clans and continued as some of the Syrian government's security forces began 'actively participating' on behalf of the Bedouins. READ MORE: Video/Pics: 71 killed in Israeli strike on Iranian prison In a statement obtained by The Associated Press, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz explained that Israel military forces 'attacked targets in Syria as a message and a clear warning to the Syrian regime — we will not allow harm to the Druze in Syria.' The outlet noted that the Druze are viewed as a loyal minority group in Israel and serve in the Israel Defense Forces. The Associated Press reported that the Syrian Foreign Ministry urged 'all countries and organizations to respect the authority of the Syrian Arab Republic and refrain from supporting any separatist rebel movements.' The Syrian Foreign Ministry also warned Syrian citizens to 'cease acts of violence, surrender illegal weapons and thwart those seeking to dismantle the Syrian social fabric and sow discord and division.'
