Florida Senate - 2021 CS for SB 498
By the Committee on Criminal Justice; and Senators Gruters,
Brandes, Hutson, Baxley, Rodriguez, Rodrigues, Broxson,
Albritton, and Bradley
591-02629-21 2021498c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the safety of religious
3 institutions; amending s. 790.06, F.S.; authorizing,
4 for specified purposes, a concealed weapons or
5 firearms licensee to carry a firearm on certain
6 property of a church, a synagogue, or any other
7 religious institution; providing an exception;
8 providing an effective date.
9
10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
11
12 Section 1. Subsection (12) of section 790.06, Florida
13 Statutes, is amended to read:
14 790.06 License to carry concealed weapon or firearm.—
15 (12)(a) A license issued under this section does not
16 authorize any person to openly carry a handgun or carry a
17 concealed weapon or firearm into:
18 1. Any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05;
19 2. Any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station;
20 3. Any detention facility, prison, or jail;
21 4. Any courthouse;
22 5. Any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would
23 preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining
24 who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom;
25 6. Any polling place;
26 7. Any meeting of the governing body of a county, public
27 school district, municipality, or special district;
28 8. Any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof;
29 9. Any school, college, or professional athletic event not
30 related to firearms;
31 10. Any elementary or secondary school facility or
32 administration building;
33 11. Any career center;
34 12. Any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense
35 alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which
36 portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such
37 purpose;
38 13. Any college or university facility unless the licensee
39 is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such
40 college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal
41 electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes
42 and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile;
43 14. The inside of the passenger terminal and sterile area
44 of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from
45 carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is
46 encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as
47 baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or
48 15. Any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited
49 by federal law.
50 (b) A person licensed under this section may shall not be
51 prohibited from carrying or storing a firearm in a vehicle for
52 lawful purposes.
53 (c) Notwithstanding any other law, for the purposes of
54 safety, security, personal protection, or any other lawful
55 purpose, a person licensed under this section to carry a
56 concealed weapon or firearm may carry a firearm on property
57 owned, rented, leased, borrowed, or lawfully used by a church, a
58 synagogue, or any other religious institution unless the church,
59 synagogue, or other religious institution has a policy
60 specifically prohibiting persons who are lawfully licensed under
61 this section from carrying a firearm on such property.
62 (d)(c) This section does not modify the terms or conditions
63 of s. 790.251(7).
64 (e)(d) Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any
65 provision of this subsection commits a misdemeanor of the second
66 degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
67 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.