The Tallahassee Tally: How Palm Beach County area lawmakers voted on key bills. Today: Guns
Editorials from The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board are the opinions of the Board, not of the Post newsroom.
Every year Florida lawmakers leave their communities for Tallahassee to address issuesaffecting everything from what schoolchildren learn and how people receive healthcare to what's needed to legally obtain a gun. The tallies shown here are final floor votes on bills that went to the Governor's desk for signature. To help our readers see where their state representatives and senators stood on these and other measures, The Palm Beach Post Editorial Board presents this recap of key votes taken during the 2023 session.
GUN LAWS: House Bill 543 allows a person to carry a concealed weapon in Florida without a state-issued concealed weapons license anymore. The license required a background check and firearms training. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the bill last month during the legislative session, considers it "Constitutional Carry," saying it strengthens Floridians’ Second Amendment rights. Opponents contend there is no constitutional right to unregulated weapon ownership; they say the bill makes Floridians less safe at a time of frequent mass shootings, by contributing to the ease of access and proliferation of weapons.
Florida remains a state where lawmakers can come face to face with bloodletting in places like Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and yet stand their ground, unmoved. It should be abundantly clear from the plague of massacres across this nation that putting a gun on every hip — let alone without requiring a background check or safety training — is not the solution. When you see your local legislator back in the district, ask them about their vote on this bill and to elaborate on their gun-safety stance.
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The Legislature approved the measure 76-32 in the House and 27-13 in the Senate. The law takes effect July 1. Here's how members of your Palm Beach County legislative delegation voted:
YES:
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart
Rep. Mike Caruso, R-West Palm Beach
Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, R-Highland Beach
Rep. Rick Roth, R-West Palm Beach
Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart
NO:
Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach
Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton
Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach.
Rep. Joe Casello, D-Boynton Beach.
Rep. Jervonte "Tae" Edmonds, D-West Palm Beach.
Rep. David Silvers, D-Lake Clarke Shores
Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-Boca Raton.
Rep. Katherine Waldron, D-Wellington.