Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power issued the following statement after the First District Court of Appeal issued an opinion today finding that Florida’s ban on open carry is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment:

“The Constitution is clear: The right to keep and bear arms belongs to law-abiding citizens, and it cannot be stripped away by bureaucratic overreach. Today’s decision affirms that Florida’s open carry ban violates the plain text of the Second Amendment and this Nation’s historical tradition of protecting the right to self-defense. As the court wrote, ‘No historical tradition supports Florida’s Open Carry Ban. To the contrary, history confirms that the right to bear arms in public necessarily includes the right to do so openly… But what the State may not do is extinguish the right altogether for ordinary, law-abiding, adult citizens.’

The Republican Party of Florida stands firm in defending our constitutional rights, and today’s decision underscores that commitment. The court made clear: Florida cannot extinguish the rights of ordinary, law-abiding citizens. We applaud this decision and stand with millions of Floridians in support of the Second Amendment.”