Florida issues concealed weapons permits to out-of-staters

by David Safier

I honestly didn't think this was possible. People in other states can get Florida concealed weapons permits by mail:

Among the 853,272 concealed weapons permits Florida had issued as of Aug. 31, more than 95,000 were mail-order permits sent to non-Florida residents. All it took was a notarized 30-item questionnaire, a photo, a fingerprint form, proof of firearms training and a fee.

Florida has reciprocal agreements with 35 other states to honor each others' gun permits, so those permits-by-mail are as good as gold in those states.

What could possibly go wrong with issuing mail-order carry permits?

[A]s the Philadelphia Inquirer recently reported, some 900 residents of the City of Brotherly Love bypassed local concealed weapons regulations and simply received their permits from Florida, obligating local law enforcement to recognize their right to carry a concealed gun. In one case cited by the newspaper, an individual had been denied a local concealed weapons permit because of his association with drug trafficking. In another case, an 18-year-old man was shot to death by an assailant who managed to obtain a Florida concealed weapons permit after his Pennsylvania permit had been revoked. Florida was more than happy to oblige both customers.