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For those with a Florida permit

32K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  tegemu 
#1 ·
We have decided to move to Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area at the end of the year..I therefore have several questions I hope you would take the time to respond to. We will spend our summer there to check out the area but before that;

Please tell me about your state. What do I need to be aware off?
What can you do and what can you not do. Is the a gap between what the law says, and how things are actually done and handled?

What rights do you have to defend your self in public or in your home?
Is there episodes were you have been refused access to banks,stores or other public places? The crime in Miami seem to be high, do you feel comfy with leaving your weapon in the car?

Any story about Miami would be highly appreciated!
 
#2 ·
getting a CCW is fairly simple. If your a vet and have your DD-214 that meets the training requirement. If not a class will suffice. Initital cost is $117 plus prints, and photos and class.
Florida has both the "Stand your ground law" and the "Castle Docterine".
Postings in the front of retail establishments really mean nothing. If you're found out carrying and asked to leave , just leave.
The ususal prohibitions of public building applies.
I'm on the west coast and the LEO's here are really good about CCWing. Never had a problem.

Join this board for a lot more info: Florida Shooters Network Home

Florida is a whole different world from Cali. We swap guns in parking lots.

AFS
 
#3 ·
Florida allows concealed carry anywhere except schools, federal buildings, courthouses and inside of bars. Restaurants that serve alcohol do not count as bars unless they make more than 51% of their profit from alcohol sales. You also are not supposed to carry if you are in a restaurant sitting AT THE BAR where alcohol is served. Anywhere else is a matter of whether or not you see a posted sign and whether or not you choose to carry.

Florida allows open carry while on a hunting, fishing, camping or hiking trip and coming to and from such area of activity. This also includes gun ranges and training sites. On personal property you can carry concealed or open.

Recently, Florida began to allow concealed carry in its state/national forests.

Florida is a Must Issue state and therefore must issue the CHL if you meet the requirements.

As mentioned before, Florida also has the "No duty to retreat" which is part of the "Castle Doctrine" that also, by the way, extends to motor vehicles as your "Castle".
 
#5 ·
Florida allows concealed carry anywhere except schools, federal buildings, courthouses and inside of bars. Restaurants that serve alcohol do not count as bars unless they make more than 51% of their profit from alcohol sales. You also are not supposed to carry if you are in a restaurant sitting AT THE BAR where alcohol is served. Anywhere else is a matter of whether or not you see a posted sign and whether or not you choose to carry.

Florida allows open carry while on a hunting, fishing, camping or hiking trip and coming to and from such area of activity. This also includes gun ranges and training sites. On personal property you can carry concealed or open.

Recently, Florida began to allow concealed carry in its state/national forests.

Florida is a Must Issue state and therefore must issue the CHL if you meet the requirements.

As mentioned before, Florida also has the "No duty to retreat" which is part of the "Castle Doctrine" that also, by the way, extends to motor vehicles as your "Castle".
Just where in the law is this part?

51% ????...has nothing to do with FL law...just can't carry in A BAR...or the bar portion of a restaurant...

Also, signs...I'm not sure what sign(s) you are referring to...they mean nothing in FL...

The Castle Doctrine goes beyond home and car...it's ANYWHERE you have a legal right to be...

Stay armed...enjoy FL...stay safe!
 
#4 ·
Get this book and read it:

Florida Firearms -- Law, Use & Ownership (Sixth Ed.)
by Jon H. Gutmacher, Esq.​

It's an EXCELLENT source of information (and a very good read too) on Florida gun laws, concealed carry, etc. You can usually find it at many Florida gun shops, or you can buy it on-line at http://www.floridafirearmslaw.com
 
#9 ·
Personally, I would avoid the Miami-Dade area.
I have done my time there. :gah:

Crime can be bad. Traffic worse. How is your Spanish?
Some areas are almost totally Spanish-speaking.

The further north you can go, the better the traffic.
West Palm Beach housing prices may be more than Miami.

Come on up to Brevard County. Traffic is pretty good, prices not bad. :wave:

OH, and what RetSupt said (Hi, Ken).

No CCW in the bar. Restaurant is fine. Can even have a drink.
Just don't go into the bar.

Get Gutmacher's Florida Firearms Law.
 
#11 ·
I would go North of Miami if at all possible. The crime rate there is unreal. I have relatives in Florida (Brevard Co) & would recommend that area or slightly south of there. The one trip me & my uncle made to Miami, the hotel clerk (major chain) stole my credit card # & tried to charge something a month later. Luckily my CC company stopped it before it happened. What we noticed about Miami - if you're rich it's probably a decent place, if not forget it. Also, BAD traffic, parking sucked. I will never go back to Miami.

EDITED TO ADD: When you get your CCW permit, do the electronic fingerprints, much quicker getting your license that way.
 
#14 ·
FL CWL doesn't authorize me to use force, and doesn't limit my choice of options. All it does is recognize my RKBA and allow me to carry lethal weapons under concealment in most places.

Our CCW classes teach use of force and firearms handling, but the FL CWL doesn't change my use of force or specify that me weapon be a firearm.

Daniella: Moving from the PRC to FL will set you free of useless gun laws and burdensome income taxes. Inland is better than coastal unless you just gotta surf every day. (We have no real waves, anyway.) Just one thing, please bring water. The lack of 'canes these last couple of years seems to have left us a bit dry south of Daytona.
 
#15 ·
Still, if you are illegally carrying a concealed weapon on your person in a public place, YOU ARE engaged in illegal activity. You certainly still have the right to protect yourself using force if necessary, even deadly force, but you already were comitting a felony before hand. If you happen to be on your own property or the private property of someone elses, you are not IN A PUBLIC place, therefore, illegal activties do not apply regardless of CHL status.
Your "private property" is, through the Castle Doctrine, extended to your vehicle (only while you are inside it), to your uncles private property, your place of work or to a motel room in which you happen to be staying in at the time. If you were to be on a hunting trip, you wouldnt need a CHL to have a sidearm on you. You could carry it openly, legally, and would also be legally protected to use it for self defense. However, if you do not hold a CHL, you would not legally be right to have that sidearm concealed while hunting.
 
#16 ·
Still, if you are illegally carrying a concealed weapon on your person
then you go to jail for a minimum of three years.

XD is right in that we do not take kindly to people who carry concealed without license.

No license? Don't carry a gun in FL! Your visit may last much longer than expected take you to places far worse than the abandoned parts of Miami.
 
#17 ·
Hey guys,

New to the forum and going to post in the new members section soon.

I just wanted to tell you to stay away from Miami Dade. It's getting really out of hand down there and we have had multiple officers being shot at or shot. I live in the Davie area and it's pretty peaceful and nice over here.

Also if you go to the West Palm area don't go too far west. There is an area there called Bell Glades that most of the officers that come into my local gun shop say is awful and almost "wild-west" like.

Ft. Lauderdale north is really nice and a good clean area. But as with anywhere you live, there are places that you want to avoid. Hope you enjoy our state!
 
#19 ·
FLSquirrelHunter - Good explanations on "Castle Doctrine" or "Stand your ground" or whatever you want to call it. IANAL nor did I sleep at a HI Express last night but I do see too many comments that think that in states that have these laws it gives them a right to shoot pretty much anyone they want to.

One thing that people don't take into account is that the laws are much more specific than what one would think. You may be in the right and eventually found not-guilty in a court of law for shooting someone but that doesn't mean that you can't be arrested or sued. Your actions may fall under the CD but it will be up to you to convince a jury of it and that can get very expensive.
 
#20 ·
Since you already have allot of advise on CCL in Florida, I’ll forgo it, and instead restate what Captain Crunch said by read the law.

And I really like the Fl Squirrel Hunter examples and explanation of the use of Deadly Force for Lawful Self-Defense.

What I will tell you is, I was born and raised, in North Miami and moved away from there for several reasons including:

Cost of living
Lifestyle
Cost of housing
Over population
Crime rate
Violent crime rate
Gang activity and crime

Some have recommended moving further north of Miami, and I highly agree, unless your work is in south Miami area. If so I’d look at Key Largo, because Homestead is basically just south Miami. :urla9ub:
 
#25 ·
Others have well covered the laws and rules. Let me add one and answer one of your qustions that has been skipped by most responders.Being faced with lethal force does not mean only guns, knives, pipes etc. It can also be a "Disparity of Force", meaning that if the attacker can apply lethal force, for example a strapping young thug attacking an elderly person, a handicapped person or a small person, it can be presumed that he could whip your butt bad enough to kill you.

As to whether or not I feel "Comfy" leaving my gun in a locked car, the answer is NO, but at times I have no choice, I lock mine in my center console under the lift out tray. A lockable and secured box would be preferable.
 
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