FLORIDA – Open carry isn’t yet legal in Florida, but multiple Northeast Florida sheriffs said they won’t arrest people solely for openly carrying a firearm after an appeals court found the state’s open carry ban unconstitutional.
RELATED: JSO joins other Northeast Florida agencies in instructing officers not to enforce open carry ban
But it doesn’t mean you can bring a firearm everywhere you go, or act however you choose, according to Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney.
“The first thing you need to do is be aware of where you can and where you can’t carry. There’s even with this change, there’s still places that you’re not able to carry,” Hackney said.
Businesses, stores and private property owners still have the right to ban guns on their premises. Schools and certain government buildings like courthouses and sheriff’s offices and others are still restricted from open carry.
Ignore the signs and you could face criminal charges. Hackney urges gun owners to be aware.
“You just have to understand what those rules are and really abide by them,” Hackney said.
He said rule two is to understand that your gun changes the dynamic of how you are perceived. Even if you’re doing everything right, a visible firearm can escalate tension, cause panic or even trigger dangerous misunderstandings.
“It changes people’s view of you as you’re moving about where you may normally have carried that concealed, but if it’s out in the open, it changes,” Hackney said.
Hackney said that whether it’s a verbal disagreement or a chance encounter, the gun becomes part of the story.
He said the third important rule is to be careful when interacting with police. Even trained officers must make split-second decisions when they see a weapon and one wrong move could turn deadly.
“So if somebody sees you walking through a store armed with a gun, law enforcement comes, you have to be careful with your reaction to law enforcement and how you speak to them and present them, and certainly avoid reaching for that gun at all, or what could be perceived as a reach for a firearm,” Hackney said.
Of you’re open carrying, it might be a good idea to get a bright colored phone case so there is no question about what you’re reaching for.
There is a 15-day window for the state to seek a rehearing on the ruling, but it is expected to stand.