During the year-long period surveyed, 84 license holders had their concealed weapons licenses revoked for crimes they committed after having received the license. The only information offered by the Florida Division of Licensing on the nature of these crimes is whether or not they involved a firearm. Of these 84 cases, the State of Florida reports that 17 (20 percent) involved the use of a firearm. It is also important to note that these 84 cases represent only those that the Florida Division of Licensing is aware of. The state can offer no assurances that there are not numerous criminals armed by the state of Florida who go undetected. And the length of time between the commission of many of the crimes detailed below and the final revocation of the concealed weapons license raises serious public safety questions.
While the Florida Division of Licensing offers little information on the crimes committed by its license holders, the Violence Policy Center was able to obtain detailed records of the crimes committed by the licensees in the 19 instances where the license holder requested a public hearing. The state may not revoke the license of an individual until the hearing date has passed. It is important to remember that these 19 examples are only a sampling of the crimes committed and because of the license holders’ willingness to challenge the revocation at a public hearing, may well represent the least severe of the crimes committed. The Violence Policy Center also received public hearing records for an additional three cases where the license was revoked for non-criminal reasons.
Of the 19 crime-related public hearing files received by the VPC: six were firearm-related crimes; seven were non-firearm crimes of violence; three were drug-related crimes; and, three were non-violent crimes. Of the three non-crime related revocations, two were for reasons of mental stability and one was for a physical disability. Under Florida law, in 12 of the 19 criminal cases the license holder will eventually be able to legally reapply for a concealed weapons license without further judicial review. Detailed synopses of the 22 cases and the reasons for revocation follow.
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