Gun Owners of America (GOA) sued the state of Florida in August 2024 to overturn the state's 1987 ban on open carry. The lawsuit was filed after the Republican legislative leadership blocked GOA's open carry bill during the first week of the 2024 session.

Not only did AG Moody decline to show up to defend Florida’s ban, but the other Defendants failed to respond to GOA’s lawsuit on time, so the Judge ordered a default judgment for GOA.

While this is a victory, don’t head out and open carry just yet. The Defendants FINALLY decided to participate in the case and have now asked the judge to set aside the default judgment against them and proceed with the case as usual. Meanwhile, the judge has ordered GOA to file a motion for final default judgment—seeking to have the Florida carry ban struck down permanently.

Gun Owners of America (GOA) and the Gun Owners Foundation filed a federal lawsuit in South Florida, challenging the state’s ban on open carry of firearms. As of today, Florida remains in the very small and anti-gun company of New York, Illinois, and California where open carry is still wholly banned.

Governor Ron DeSantis has previously expressed support for open carry, but unfortunately, the Republican leadership in the legislature in Tallahassee has made quite clear they have no intention of repealing this ban.

Erich Pratt GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:

“Florida lawmakers claim to be pro-gun, but year after year, they’ve refused to repeal the 1987 ban on open carry, leaving Floridians in the very anti-gun company of New York, Illinois, and California where this is also prohibited.

“GOA has been left with no choice but to sue the state, especially since GOA’s open carry bill was blocked by the Republican legislative leadership during the 2024 session’s first week.

“This ban has no historical basis and will surely be found unconstitutional under the Bruen precedent. We look forward to making our case and fighting for law-abiding Floridians.”