Florida Senate - 2025 SB 190
By Senator Rouson
16-00265-25 2025190__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to storage of handguns in private
3 conveyances and vessels; amending s. 790.25, F.S.;
4 providing requirements for storage of handguns in
5 private conveyances and vessels; providing
6 definitions; requiring law enforcement agencies to
7 engage in a specified promotional campaign; requiring
8 counties to adopt, by a date certain, specified
9 ordinances concerning the parents of children who have
10 been found to have stolen a handgun from a conveyance
11 or vessel; providing a declaration of important state
12 interest; providing effective dates.
13
14 WHEREAS, on average, at least one gun is stolen from a car
15 every 9 minutes in the United States, and
16 WHEREAS, the rate of gun thefts from cars is triple what it
17 was a decade ago, including both consistent increases nearly
18 every year over the decade and a marked spike during the recent
19 pandemic, and
20 WHEREAS, a decade ago, roughly a quarter of gun thefts were
21 from cars, but in 2022, over half of gun thefts were from cars,
22 and
23 WHEREAS, cars parked at residences are the most common
24 source of stolen guns, demonstrating the importance of securely
25 storing guns at all times and locations, and
26 WHEREAS, cities in states with the weakest gun safety laws
27 see nearly 18 times the rate of gun thefts from cars as those in
28 states with the strongest gun laws, and
29 WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that it is the
30 responsibility of parents to supervise their children under 18
31 years of age, NOW, THEREFORE,
32
33 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
34
35 Section 1. Effective October 1, 2025, subsection (4) of
36 section 790.25, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
37 790.25 Lawful ownership, possession, and use of firearms
38 and other weapons.—
39 (4) POSSESSION IN PRIVATE CONVEYANCE.—
40 (a)1. Except as provided in subparagraph 2. and
41 notwithstanding s. 790.01, a person 18 years of age or older who
42 is in lawful possession of a handgun or other weapon may possess
43 such a handgun or weapon within the interior of a private
44 conveyance if the handgun or weapon is securely encased or
45 otherwise not readily accessible for immediate use. A person who
46 possesses a handgun or other weapon as authorized under this
47 subparagraph paragraph may not carry the handgun or weapon on
48 his or her person.
49 2.a. A person may not store a handgun, whether loaded or
50 unloaded, in an unoccupied, unsecured private conveyance or
51 vessel unless the handgun is kept from ordinary observation and
52 view and is secured with a device or mechanism that is securely
53 affixed to the private conveyance or vessel or kept locked
54 within a trunk, a utility or glove box, or other locked
55 container.
56 b. As used in this subparagraph, the term:
57 (I) “Private conveyance” includes any motor vehicle as
58 defined in s. 790.251(2)(b) other than a public conveyance.
59 (II) “Unsecured” means a private conveyance or vessel that
60 is unlocked or otherwise left open to entry.
61 (III) “Vessel” has the same meaning as provided in s.
62 327.02.
63 c. Each law enforcement agency shall engage in a
64 promotional campaign to educate the public and handgun owners of
65 the requirements of sub-subparagraph a. and that with handgun
66 ownership comes responsibility as prescribed in the ordinance
67 adopted pursuant to sub-subparagraph d.
68 d. Each county shall adopt an ordinance imposing sanctions
69 on a parent or legal guardian whose child under 18 years of age
70 has been found to have stolen a handgun from a conveyance or
71 vessel. Such sanctions must include, but are not limited to:
72 (I) Parent education classes.
73 (II) Community service projects.
74 (III) Family counseling.
75 (b) This subsection does not prohibit a person from
76 carrying a:
77 1. Legal firearm other than a handgun anywhere in a private
78 conveyance when such firearm is being carried for a lawful use;
79 or
80 2. Concealed weapon or concealed firearm on his or her
81 person while in a private conveyance if he or she is authorized
82 to carry a concealed weapon or concealed firearm under s.
83 790.01(1).
84 (c) This subsection shall be liberally construed in favor
85 of the lawful use, ownership, and possession of firearms and
86 other weapons, including lawful self-defense as provided in s.
87 776.012.
88 Section 2. Each county shall, no later than July 1, 2025,
89 adopt a local ordinance pursuant to s. 790.25(4)(a)2.d., Florida
90 Statutes, imposing sanctions on a parent or legal guardian whose
91 child under 18 years of age has been found to have stolen a
92 handgun from a conveyance or vessel, and shall direct county law
93 enforcement agencies to engage in promotional campaigns to
94 educate the public and handgun owners in the county of their
95 responsibilities under the ordinance.
96 Section 3. It is the intent of the Legislature to provide
97 for the most efficient and effective deterrent to juvenile theft
98 of handguns from vessels and conveyances, tailored to local
99 conditions and resources. Therefore, the Legislature determines
100 and declares that this act fulfills an important state interest.
101 Section 4. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
102 act, this act shall take effect upon becoming a law.