Florida State Senator Randy Fine of Brevard Files Bill to Allow Concealed Carry on College Campuses

move marks a significant policy push in response to growing concerns over campus safety

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA—Florida State Senator Randy Fine of Brevard County has introduced Senate Bill 814 (SB 814), a bill to extend concealed carry rights to college and university campuses across the state. The move marks a significant policy push in response to growing concerns over campus safety and the broader national debate surrounding the Second Amendment.

Fine, a Republican, had previously committed to filing such legislation following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Israel, which he referred to as “Muslim terror attacks.”

He argues that many universities have failed to adequately protect their students in the wake of those events and subsequent nationwide campus protests.

“The Second Amendment does not take the semester off when you step on a college campus,” Fine said.

“Adults should have the right to protect themselves on campus, particularly after so many universities across America chose to protect Muslim terror advocates over their own students. There is no magic force field that keeps criminals from carrying a gun onto campus; this bill will ensure that students have the same rights on campus as they do off.”

The proposed bill is expected to create debates over gun rights, campus safety, and free speech in Florida and beyond.

Currently, Florida law prohibits carrying firearms on college and university campuses, even for those with a concealed carry permit. If SB 814 is passed, it would eliminate those restrictions and allow permit holders to carry firearms on campus grounds.

Advocates of the bill, including gun rights groups and some student organizations, argue that extending concealed carry to campuses will enhance student safety and act as a deterrent to crime.

They cite incidents of campus violence and mass shootings as justification for allowing law-abiding students and faculty to be armed.

Fine’s bill comes amid growing national tensions over both gun rights and campus protests related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Since the October 7 attacks and Israel’s military response in Gaza, many U.S. college campuses have become flashpoints for protests, counterprotests, and debates over free speech, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.

Fine’s reference to universities protecting “Muslim terror advocates” echoes broader Republican criticisms of how some institutions have handled pro-Palestinian protests, student safety, and allegations of antisemitism.

SB 814 will now move through the Florida legislative process, facing committee hearings and debate before a potential vote. If passed and signed into law, Florida would join states like Texas and Utah, which allow concealed carry on college campuses.

The bill’s progress is expected to draw national attention, particularly from gun rights organizations like the NRA and campus safety groups, who will likely lobby for and against the measure.

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