Snipers Await 'Open Carry' Bill in House Subcommittee Wednesday

Don't be surprised if the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee shoots down Rep. Matt Gaetz's open carry bill Wednesday afternoon.

Committee opponents of HB 163 told me Tuesday they were just one vote shy of leaving the bill at Gaetz's feet, dead in the water -- and they feel "hopeful" they will have the deciding vote by the committee's 1 p.m. starting time (Morris Hall, House Office Building, the Capitol).

HB 163 would allow people with concealed-weapons licenses to openly carry firearms.

In July Gaetz, likely Senate-bound in 2016, signaled his bill was on the way in a Facebook post, calling Florida an "outlier" in prohibiting the open carry of firearms.

“Texas recently made the change and it’s time we change too,” his post read. “Share if you believe in protecting our 2nd Amendment freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.”

The bill would amend Florida Statutes to allow police to arrest without warrant and upon probable cause, the unlicensed carrying of a concealed weapon, as “a breach of peace.”

Whether 163 lives or dies, anticipate a lively debate before the vote.