Unless you have been living under a rock, you should be aware that Florida Carry has filed and won lawsuits against colleges and universities to protect the individual right of self-defense on campus. Additional cases are pending.
Florida Carry v. UNF - Right to bear arms in private vehicles.
Florida Carry v. UF - Right to bear arms in private vehicles and inside the home.
Florida Carry v. Eastern FL State - Right to bear arms in private vehicles.
Florida Carry v. St. Petersburg College - Right to bear arms in private vehicles and carry non/less-lethal defensive weapons on campus.
We take no pleasure in being forced to file these lawsuits but we will not sit idly by while colleges and universities repeatedly fail to protect their students from criminal attack while illegally infringing on their right to bear arms for their own defense. In Florida Carry v. UNF we clearly established that colleges and universities must comply with state law and the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. It is shocking that so many colleges have chosen to disobey the law and continue their illegal violations of the right to bear arms even after the clear decision of the court of appeals. We will continue to demand that colleges and universities cease their illegal activities and respect the right to bear arms.
Florida Carry also fully supports the mission of the Students for Concealed Carry and has extended reciprocal Florida Carry membership to their Florida members since 2011.
You may legally posses a firearm in your personal vehicle (Handguns must be "securely encased") at any Florida public Career Center (tech school), College, or University. It is also legal to store a firearm in your personal vehicle at any private school. Private schools may however attempt to impose academic sanctions. It is also legal for a registered student, employee, or faculty member of a college or university who has a valid concealed carry license to carry a concealed stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon/device designed solely for defensive purposes as long as it does not fire a dart or projectile.
If your college, career center, or university is violating these rights, please contact us.
Florida Carry, Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the University of North Florida (UNF), seeking a permanent injunction against enforcement or promulgation of its unlawful ban on firearms and weapons that are properly stored in student's private automobiles. We also seek a court order to repeal their unlawful regulations and remove all preempted signs/publications. Since 1987 the Florida Legislature has preempted firearms law and issued statewide licenses to carry for self-defense.
Florida Carry filed this case on behalf of Florida Gun Owners and our members. One such member, Alexandria Lainez, is a single mother who has received extensive training in firearms and self-defense to be prepared to protect herself and her young child should that horrible need arise. Alexandria is a full time student at UNF and worries that she has to choose between her family's safety and her education on a daily basis while attending college.
No public college or university has any authority to prevent students from having a firearm in their car as long as the firearm is lawfully possessed under state law. Any public college or university which attempts to restrict students’ rights on this issue is subject to being sued under Florida Firearms Preemption law which was amended in 2011 to make the then 24 year-old statute easier to enforce by organizations like Florida Carry.
Docket Overview: Lower Court Case Number: 2011-CA-08012
Duval County Clerk of the Circuit Court
Lower Court Filings:
10/03/2011 Plaintiffs' Original Complaint
11/10/2011 Plaintiffs' Motion for Temporary Injunction
12/15/2011 Defendants' Motion to Dismiss
01/04/2012 Plaintiffs' Amended Complaint
01/25/2012 Defendants' Second Motion to Dismiss
01/27/2012 Defendants' Memo of Law Opposing Temporary Injunction
03/21/2012 Plaintiffs' Notice of Priority Case & Motion for Ruling
03/22/2012 Order Denying Temp. Injunction
03/26/2012 Plaintiffs' Memo of Law Opposing Motion to Dismiss
04/03/2012 Final Order Granting Motion to Dismiss
04/26/2012 Plaintiffs' Notice of Appeal
Docket Overview: Appellate Court Case Number: 1D12-2174
Florida First District Court of Appeal Docket
Appellate Court Filings:
04/27/2012 Plaintiffs' Notice of Appeal