Currently, under Florida law, a Concealed Weapons or Firearms License (CWFL) issued by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is required, with limited exceptions, for anyone wishing to carry a concealed firearm on their person in public.
Guns in public, and specifically right to carry laws, are a hot button topic for most Americans. Advocates for gun control insist that gun violence will be greatly reduced if there are further restrictions on the lawful gun owner’s right to carry firearms in public for self-defense. For their part, legally armed Americans view the right to carry as a cornerstone of the United States Constitution and an integral part of personal protection. Understanding what right to carry laws are, how they work, and where they apply is important for anyone interested in incorporating firearms into their self-defense plan.
If you carry a firearm for self-defense, then you already
Whether it’s a private citizen defending their life from an attack or law enforcement apprehending a criminal, in today’s world there are many questions surrounding use of force. Although the term means different things when used with a civilian versus a government agent, everyone has questions about what level of force is warranted for a given situation. Police officers need to be aware of “excessive force” and civilians need to be wary of escalating a situation by using “disproportional force” in a self-defense incident. We all struggle to balance the value of human life against the need to respond, sometimes with deadly force, to an imminent threat.
What is Open Carry? Simply put, it's the practice of carrying a wholly or partially visible firearm. It could be a holstered handgun that's not hidden under a concealment garment, or the less common practice of carrying a long gun on a sling. Since the gun isn't concealed, it's carried "in the open" hence the term "open carry."
A New Year Celebration can represent many different things for many different people. For some, it is a time of careful reflection on the events of the past year and a hopeful optimism for the possibilities the coming year represents. For others, it’s an excuse to gather with friends, family, or strangers and enjoy a party. No matter your personal feelings or beliefs behind a New Year Celebration, it’s always a good idea to consider how to stay safe and what goes into protecting not only your physical health and safety, but also your emotional health and safety.
As a gun owner, it’s a good idea to have not only your everyday carry (EDC) gun but some secondary defensive measures as well. The old saying “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” comes into play when all you have or know is your gun. Adding to your skillset—increasing the contents of your tactical toolbox—is a good idea for all of us. What secondary measures should you consider? Read on to find out.
“Duty to retreat” is a phrase you’ll hear from time to time when discussing lawful self-defense. It's a term that is frequently misunderstood and misrepresented, so call your Independent Program Attorney if you have any questions. Let's unpack this legal term so that you can understand what it really means when a state has a duty to retreat law.
As we welcome each new year, it’s typical to think about making changes. There are many things we’d all like to do with our lives, and it’s a cultural tradition to frame them as New Year’s resolutions. The problem with that is the way resolutions tend to be forgotten before January is even over. As gun owners, it’s a great idea to plan for year-round changes by making resolutions that will improve our skills and make us safer, more responsible people. With that in mind, we’ve come up with 12 New Year’s resolutions for gun owners: one for each month to cover the entire coming year.
This is a real story of a self-defense encounter that happened to one our members. At the time, she was a single college student with no thoughts of what Legal Defense for Self Defense® might mean. To protect her identity, we are not including any real names, dates, or locations. For our purposes, we'll call our defender “Maria.”
