What are Penalties for Illegally Carrying a Concealed Weapon in Florida?

Compared with some other states, weapons charges are a much more serious offense in Florida. If you are charged with carrying a concealed weapon, consult with a Jacksonville weapons defense attorney as soon as possible to start preparing your defense.

Florida statute  790.01  Carrying concealed weapons makes it a third-degree felony to carry a concealed firearm without a license and permit. Third-degree felonies carry maximum penalties of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. For purposes of self-defense, you can carry without a license or permit the following weapons:

• Self-defense chemical spray
• Non-lethal stun guns, remote stun guns or other non-lethal electric weapons or devices that do not fire a dart or projectile and are designed solely for self-defense

Except for these legal types of self-defense weapons, it is illegal to carry concealed weapons or electric weapons and devices, and violations are punishable as a first-degree misdemeanor. First-degree misdemeanors carry penalties of up to one year in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine.

Weapons charges in Jacksonville can vary, depending on the type of weapon involved. For example, unconcealed firearms are a much more serious offense than other types of unconcealed weapons. A concealed weapon means any deadly weapon that a person carries in a way that conceals it from the ordinary view of someone else. Weapons include many different types, including:

• Dirk
• Metallic knuckles
• Slingshot
• Billy club
• Tear gas gun
• Chemical weapon or device
• Bomb
• Grenade
• Mine
• Pipe bomb
• Missile
• Explosive
• Firearm