The Division of Licensing has been seeking confirmation from the licensing authorities and attorneys general  in the other 49 states to determine which states will acknowledge the validity of Florida Concealed Weapon/Firearm licenses, thereby allowing mutual recognition of licenses under Florida's new law. The following states have acknowledged our inquiry. This mutual recognition applies only to licenses issued under Section 790.06, F.S. and does not apply to Florida Statewide Firearm Licenses , Class "G", issued under Section 493.6115, F.S.
 

 SPECIAL NOTES:

  (1) These states' laws allow for concealed carry of handguns only, NOT "WEAPONS" IN GENERAL.

  (2) The State of Vermont does not issue weapons/firearms licenses. The law in Florida, however, is quite clear: an out-of-state resident must have in his or her immediate possession a valid license to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm issued to the nonresident in his or her state of residence. Therefore, residents from Vermont do not have the right to carry their concealed weapons/firearms in Florida, while Florida citizens do have that right in Vermont.

  (3) Under North Dakota law a citizen 18 years of age or older may possess a concealed weapons
permit. While Florida will recognize the validity of North Dakota licenses, it will not extend the right to carry to North Dakota citizens under the age of 21. Licensing officials in North Dakota have notified their licensees of this exception in order to avoid the possibility of criminal charges being filed against underage violators.

Citizens from ONLY those states that have acknowledged our inquiry and have agreed to honor
Florida licenses will be accorded the right of carrying a concealed weapon/firearm in Florida. Links to these states' firearm statutes have been provided so that interested citizens can familiarize themselves with the specific provisions of these laws.

Those states identified above under the heading "States That WILL NOT HONOR Florida Licenses" are the only states that have responded to the Division's inquiry for confirmation and declined to honor Florida licenses. HOWEVER, CITIZENS FROM STATES THAT HAVE NOT ACKNOWLEDGED OUR INQUIRY ALSO DO NOT HAVE CONCEALED-CARRY RIGHTS.

In some states, licenses are issued by local governments, municipalities, or boards. FLORIDA WILL
NOT HONOR THESE LICENSES UNLESS THE STATE IN WHICH THOSE LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS, MUNICIPALITIES, OR BOARDS ARE LOCATED ACKNOWLEDGES
RESPONSIBILITY FOR RECOGNIZING FLORIDA LICENSES.

EXAMPLE: State statutes in Michigan, Indiana, and New Hampshire delegate the responsibility of concealed weapon/firearm permit issuance to local government entities. However, state law provides for the recognition of out-of-state licenses.

Florida law will honor ONLY those out of state licenses issued to a non-resident by his or her state of residence.

EXAMPLE: If a resident of New York possesses a license issued in New Hampshire, that
resident cannot carry a concealed weapon/firearm in Florida, (unless, of course, he possesses or obtains a Florida license.)

The Division of Licensing is continuing its efforts to reach those states that have not responded to our
initial inquiry. We will update this Web page and continue to notify local law enforcement in Florida as future developments warrant.

The Division of Licensing strongly urges concealed firearm/weapon license holders from Florida to
exercise good judgment and caution when traveling out of state with their concealed weapons. While gun laws vary dramatically from state to state, the states listed above can generally be assumed to have gun laws that are at least basically similar to Florida's.

However, some states' laws may be more or less restrictive than others. Specific questions about this
matter should be directed to the licensing authorities or the law enforcement officials in the state of
destination.

As a rule, concealed weapon license holders should have their licenses in their physical possession on their person at all times while carrying a concealed weapon. Moreover, those restrictions specified in Section 790.06(12), Florida Statutes, regarding where a concealed weapon may not be carried should be observed at all times. Be aware that these types of restrictions may vary from state to state.

790.06(12) – No license issued pursuant to this section shall authorize any person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm into any place of nuisance as defined in s. 823.05; any police, sheriff, or highway patrol station; any detention facility, prison, or jail; any courthouse; any courtroom, except that nothing in this section would preclude a judge from carrying a concealed weapon or determining who will carry a concealed weapon in his or her courtroom; any polling place; any meeting of the governing body of a county, public school district, municipality, or special district; any meeting of the Legislature or a committee thereof; any school, college, or professional athletic event not related to firearms; any school administration building; any portion of an establishment licensed to dispense alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises, which portion of the establishment is primarily devoted to such purpose; any elementary or secondary school facility; any area vocational-technical center; any college or university facility unless the licensee is a registered student, employee, or faculty member of such college or university and the weapon is a stun gun or nonlethal electric weapon or device designed solely for defensive purposes and the weapon does not fire a dart or projectile; inside the passenger terminal and sterile area of any airport, provided that no person shall be prohibited from carrying any legal firearm into the terminal, which firearm is encased for shipment for purposes of checking such firearm as baggage to be lawfully transported on any aircraft; or any place where the carrying of firearms is prohibited by federal law. Any person who willfully violates any provision of this subsection commits a misdemeanor of  the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

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