Dear Mr. McDaniel, Thank you for your e-mail in which you inquired about my position with regard to allowing Florida residents to openly carry handguns in the state when they are lawfully purchased. I appreciate the fact that you took the time to get in touch. As you may know, I am a strong advocate of gun rights, and I personally own firearms. However, I am concerned that allowing gun owners to openly carry their weapons, even when purchased through lawful channels, could be used against them. I believe that the concealed weapons permit that Florida currently has in place is working and is effective. In your e-mail, you raised some interesting points, and I believe that an open-carry law sounds good in theory but that its actual application could prove to be hazardous to the owners of lawfully purchased firearms. It presents a great deal of temptation to criminals, who could potentially steal these weapons from the law-abiding citizens and utilize them for unlawful activities. Once again, thank you for writing. Sincerely, Representative Ralph Poppell State House District 29
