Did Florida’s New Constitutional Law Affect the Downtown Orlando Shooting?

ORLANDO, FL. — Eight people were shot — two fatally — early Friday in downtown Orlando, raising questions about police safety in an area that has been plagued by violence in recent years.

Jaylen Edgar, 17, was arrested in connection with the shooting, the motive for which is not yet known.

(MORE: Sheriffs John Mina and Mike Chitwood discuss constitutional transfer law)

During a morning press conference, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith was asked about recent security changes in downtown Orlando, which previously included a gun ban.

Smith cited Florida’s new constitutional law, which took effect July 1, 2023.

“I think you’re talking about what we did before: the closures, we had dogs and everything, it happened in the city center. All of that went away when the law changed, when the law changed and essentially you can carry a gun on a public street if you meet certain criteria. So now that the situation has changed, we can no longer do that,” Smith said. “When the state law changed, you saw that we changed the way we operated downtown. We could no longer take care of the dogs we had in the city center. Law enforcement agencies are always changing. We’re working with the city, working with the clubs downtown to see if we can go somewhere else to make sure there’s safety there. As you can see with so many people down there we have no idea what people really have if they have a grudge against someone, you know most people are there to have a good time and of course “Well, you always invite here those few people who have different things on their minds.”

Florida’s new constitutional law does not apply to everyone, including:

• Persons under 21 years of age unless you are a military member.

• Convicted criminals

• Individuals convicted of certain violent crimes, such as misdemeanor domestic violence crimes.

• People who have experienced domestic violence or a restraining order against repeat violence

• Persons placed by a court in a psychiatric hospital or drug treatment facility.

• Florida residents found guilty of drug crimes or illegal drug use (including those with a medical marijuana card)

Smith said there were about 100 officers in the area due to the large Halloween crowds, estimated at 50,000 to 100,000 people.

Although changes in safety regulations were made due to the new law, they did not affect the suspect because he was 17 years old.

In addition, state laws prohibit a person under 18 from owning a firearm (other than an unloaded firearm in the home), with certain exceptions.

News 6 Trooper Steve said writing laws doesn’t always solve the problem.

“We can have as many laws as we want, but when someone openly ignores them – in this case, right to the faces of law enforcement officers – there is nothing we can do. The problem sometimes lies elsewhere in society.”

Hear more from Trooper Steve on this topic by watching Friday’s “Take 6” in the video player below or by clicking here.