Every day, we as Americans call upon our military members to lay their lives on the line in defense of our country. Overseas, we give them the hardware necessary to defend their lives. However, we often leave them defenseless while on leave at home. There have been several instances of late involving military members being injured or killed while on leave or just returned home from overseas due to violent acts by criminals.

Today, Representative Brad Drake filed HB 499 on behalf of Florida Carry, Inc., and our thousands of servicemembers stationed or deployed overseas.

The bill is simple. It directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to issue a concealed carry license to any servicemember or veteran who applies without regard to age or residency status. The military applicant must still meet all other licensing criteria including background checks.  The bill also requires that the DOACS accept fingerprints from any military law enforcement unit or provost.

Florida Carry, Inc. believes that if we can entrust our military members to protect our lives overseas, we can entrust them to lawfully defend the lives of themselves and their families while stateside.