Two years ago, Florida lawmakers allowed for people to carry a gun without a permit, but new data shows millions of people do have a license.
According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Miami-Dade had the most license holders with 186,435.
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WATCH HEREBroward County followed behind with 168,641 license holders.
By the end of April, more about 2.4 million people had a concealed weapons license.
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The table below breaks down the number of license holders by county.
| County | Number of concealed-weapons license holders |
| Palm Beach County | 131,454 |
| Hillsborough County | 128,278 |
| Orange County | 106,329 |
| Lee County | 83,066 |
| Pinellas County | 82,474 |
| Polk County | 79,820 |
| Brevard County | 77,435 |
| Volusia County | 69,227 |
| Pasco County | 65,119 |
| Lake County | 60,066 |
| Marion County | 51,670 |
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the permitless carry law on April 3, 2023.
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Throughout the bill's inception and life through the Florida Legislature, there were debates from both sides of the aisle on whether permitless carry is a good idea.
Republicans argued that law-abiding citizens have the right to carry guns and to protect themselves, while Democrats cited several deadly shootings such as the 2018 Parkland shooting and the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando.
Following the Parkland shooting, former Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that created gun restrictions.
Although there are millions of people in Florida who have a license to conceal a gun, experts have noticed a drop in gun owners taking safety courses shortly after the law was passed.
According to Florida Politics, the number of people who applied for concealed carry permits, which includes classes, dropped by nearly 64% over the same three-month period a year ago.
