Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, introduced a new gun safety initiative by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), which administers Florida’s concealed weapon licensing program and oversees Florida’s private investigative, private security, and recovery services industries. Under Commissioner Fried’s direction, FDACS will now include a flyer[ 
] on gun safety in the home with each concealed weapons permit issued. The flyers will also be available at FDACS Division of Licensing offices and tax collectors. Commissioner Fried rolled out the initiative today during a virtual press conference with gun safety advocate State Representative Dan Daley, and Pam Weisbrod of the Be SMART Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the role of safe gun storage in protecting the lives of children.
“This new initiative features common-sense and non-partisan steps we can all take to prevent gun violence and accidental gun injuries and deaths. As a gun owner myself, I know what a responsibility it is to carry a firearm – and I know how important it is to take simple steps to help keep myself and the people around me safe,” Commissioner Fried said. “The truth is that every single step we take to increase safety and prevent gun violence – big or small – could save a life.”
The flyer[ ] emphasizes key components of safe gun ownership: ensuring every gun has a safety device, storing ammunition separate from firearms, modeling responsible behavior around firearms, asking if firearms are securely stored in homes your children visit, ensuring firearms are always pointed in a safe direction, and treating all guns as if they are loaded.
Commissioner Fried has been outspoken on the need for increased safety measures and policies to prevent gun violence. She has repeatedly called for a special session of the Florida Legislature to address gun violence and is a part of a lawsuit challenging Florida’s gun preemption law, which threatens harsh financial and personal penalties for local officials and governments that enact common-sense gun safety measures.
