Why the Charlotte Tragedy Matters to Florida:

The murder of Iryna Zarutska on that Charlotte train is a stark warning for Florida communities. While Governor DeSantis is courageously pushing to restore open carry rights—recognizing that visible deterrence prevents crime—the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA) and Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) are shamefully opposing him, putting politics over public safety.

The hypocrisy is stunning. Before Florida’s concealed carry program in 1987, open carry was perfectly legal in Florida. Back then, the FSA actually **lobbied against concealed carry** and advocated for keeping open carry as the standard. They claimed open carry was safer because criminals could see who was armed and would think twice.

Then, after concealed carry became law, these same organizations flip-flopped. A special session was called to ban open carry entirely—the very thing they once championed. Now, decades later, they oppose both constitutional carry AND open carry, essentially admitting they don’t trust law-abiding citizens at all.

Here’s what this means for Florida:

  • Just like Charlotte’s transit ban created helpless victims, Florida’s restrictions on where and how citizens can carry leave us vulnerable
  • While criminals ignore every gun law on the books, law-abiding Floridians are forced to navigate a maze of restrictions
  • The FSA and FOP’s spineless opposition to DeSantis’s open carry push shows they’re more interested in control than citizen safety
  • Every “gun-free zone” in Florida—from public transit to government buildings—is just another hunting ground for predators

The Charlotte killer had multiple arrests and violent history, yet walked free. In Florida, we see the same catch-and-release failures in Democrat-run counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Orange. Soft-on-crime State Attorneys like Aramis Ayala (who refused to seek death penalties) and their successors continue putting violent criminals back on our streets.

Meanwhile, any Floridian who dares defend themselves faces potential prosecution. The FSA and FOP claim they’re protecting public safety by opposing open carry, but they’re actually creating more Charlotte-style victims—disarmed, defenseless, and dependent on police who can’t be everywhere.

Governor DeSantis understands what these law enforcement bureaucrats refuse to admit: An armed society is a polite society. The right to open carry isn’t just about guns—it’s about deterrence. When criminals know citizens might be armed, they think twice. When they know citizens are disarmed by law, they act with impunity.

The FSA and FOP’s opposition to constitutional rights is a betrayal of every crime victim in Florida. They’ve gone from flip-flopping on policy to actively opposing the very self-defense rights that could prevent tragedies like Charlotte from happening here.

We need to support Governor DeSantis’s push for open carry and demand the FSA and FOP stop playing politics with our lives. Otherwise, the next Iryna Zarutska could be riding a Brightline train in Florida, surrounded by disarmed bystanders who couldn’t help even if they wanted to.

Scott Barrish
Ocala