1,090,017
1,090,017
1,090,017 Concealed Carry Permit holders in a state of 19,300,000, 20% of whom are under 18. That leaves about 15,700,000 adults. 1,090,017 out of 15,700,000. One in every 14 has a Concealed Carry Permit, and is theoretically carrying a hidden gun.
It's a great place to live, I've been here for nearly 30 years now... but when one in every 14 people you see in this state could be carrying a hidden gun, perhaps it's time to rethink what a great place Florida is to live.
No state income taxes. Low cost of living. Nice sunny weather. Beaches. Water.
Yeah, that about covers the good stuff.
1,090,017 Concealed Carry Permits holders, and counting. They are everywhere. Your barber, he carries. Your server in your favorite restaurant, though you'd never know because it's hidden, he carries; as do several of the diners in any busy restaurant at any given moment. Take a look around. My neighbor down the road who can barely open his mail due to Parkinson's, he carries. Your mechanic? He could be carrying. Your grocery store cashier? You betcha she could be. Go to a theater, park or mall and look around. Do you see 13 other folks? Odds are, one of them could be carrying a pistol and only they know it's there. If you are there with 3 family members, then one in every group of 10 that you see is possibly carrying a highly lethal revolver or semi automatic, full magazine + 1 in the chamber, in their hidden holsters or in their pockets or purses.
These folks can carry a gun with them, often hollow-point loaded, and by mandate of law, they must be hidden. Whether driven by fear or driven by machismo, many like to carry their precious life-taking guns EVERYWHERE, like to run to the grocery store as this guy did.
We're not talking about all gun owners here in Florida. We're not talking about the millions of Floridians who have a gun in their homes for self-defense whether the need is warranted or unwarranted. This is just the small percentage of gun owners who actually feel the need to take the requisite training course and get a license to carry a loaded gun, hidden on their person.
If you can't actually make it to a CCP class for that training, fret not. $39 and you can take the class online at places like this, and then get any certified firearms instructor to sign it, send it to Tallahassee and wait a couple of months. Congratulations, you become CCP holder #1,090,018 and reduce the odds even further, that the rest of us can avoid interaction with you and your secret little pistol.
What are the odds that all 1,090,017 are of sound mind and body at all points in their day? One would hope that all of them possess the physical and mental acuity necessary to undertake the process of producing their implement of death and using it, justifiably, in full accordance with the law and cognizant of the full and far-reaching ramifications of their actions. Holding onto that hope would be stupidity, as the odds of them all hitting that standard is zero.
Is it supposed to make me feel safe, having all these gun-toters around, ready to take up arms and kill somebody? Even if it's on my behalf if they turn a corner and happen upon me getting mugged or otherwise victimized, say, in a fight that I may have provoked in the first place. Somehow I don't get that warm, fuzzy feeling of assurance, I just don't feel more secure.
Don't come to Florida folks, not to live nor even vacation, it's just not safe anymore.