Florida Gun Owners Won’t Forget Renner’s Open Carry Betrayal

Once praised as a Republican ally of gun owners, Florida Rep. Paul Renner now faces fierce criticism from pro-gun organizations who accuse him of betraying the Second Amendment. Since Renner announced his candidacy for governor, grassroots activists have begun examining his record more closely.

As Speaker of the Florida House from 2022 to 2024, Renner rose to the heights of state Republican leadership, yet his record has generated deep distrust among grassroots gun owners and some of the nation’s most principled pro-gun organizations.

Paul Renner first entered the Florida House of Representatives in 2015 after securing a special election victory. By 2022, he had climbed to the influential post of Speaker. Throughout his ascent, Renner positioned himself as a conservative committed to constitutional values and a reliable ally of Second Amendment advocates. His career, however, tells a more complicated story when examined through the lens of specific legislative battles.

Gun rights activists have been sounding the alarms about Renner since his 2018 vote in the wake of the Parkland tragedy. In response to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, Renner voted for sweeping gun control legislation (Senate Bill 7026) that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles from 18 to 21 and created “red flag” laws empowering authorities to confiscate guns from people deemed dangerous. When pressed on this in 2023, Renner asserted it was “a flawed bill that contained provisions he opposed,” but, as activists point out, he nonetheless voted for a measure that curtailed Floridians’ rights.

One of Renner’s most contentious actions was his role in blocking open carry. In 2023, Rep. Mike Beltran filed an amendment to a permitless carry bill that would have allowed open carry. Renner’s leadership forced the amendment’s withdrawal, with Beltran stating it wasn’t “the right vehicle or the right time” to pass this amendment. 

Renner’s much-touted permitless carry bill, which he called the end of “the government permission slip,” was panned by gun rights groups for not going far enough. Bob White, who chairs the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, told the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, “We have been opposed to the bill from the very beginning from the moment the press conference was held with the big placard that said ‘constitutional carry’ across the front of it – it’s a lie.”

“To call this bill constitutional carry is an insult to our intelligence,” White added. “It does not provide for open carry. It does not eliminate the prohibition against carrying on a college or university campus, leaving tens of thousands of students in danger of being assaulted.”

Testifying before the House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law and Government Operations Subcommittee, gun owner Robert Boras delivered an emotional rebuke of GOP lawmakers: “This is not what we were promised for four years now. Honestly, it feels like it’s the least amount of effort that can be put forth by Republicans to keep the gun vote. … I won’t vote for another Republican if open carry is not included in this bill.”

In 2024, Renner maintained his reluctance toward passing open carry, making clear open carry was dead on arrival: there was “not an appetite in both chambers to get that done.” He added, “We always have to measure whether it’s worth the committee [and] House floor time to pass a bill that would be controversial that would take a lot of time, that we know is dead on arrival.”

Luis Valdes, Florida director of Gun Owners of America, offered perhaps the sharpest rebuke of Renner’s refusal to pass open carry: “You have a Republican House Speaker state that he and his Republican colleagues don’t have an ‘appetite’ to debate and vote on open carry. You have a Republican Senate President [Ben Albritton] state that repealing the under-21 purchase ban is a ‘non-starter.’ Yet both have the nerve to campaign that they’re pro-gun.”

When Renner decided to announce his run for Florida governor on September 3, he was instantly attacked on social media. Florida Gun Rights, one of the Sunshine State’s leading Second Amendment groups, summarized their antipathy toward Renner bluntly: “Paul Renner voted for the Parkland Bill, the worst bill in Florida history for gun owners. He also refused to fight for Open Carry in the Constitutional Carry bill of 2023 because it would have been too hard a fight.” 

Paul Renner voted for the Parkland Bill, the worst bill in Florida history for gun owners. He also refused to fight for Open Carry in the Constitutional Carry bill of 2023 because it would have been too hard a fight. https://t.co/R4A6BLigRT

— Florida Gun Rights (@FLGunRights) September 3, 2025

Other social media critics have been similarly unforgiving: “As House Speaker, Renner then blocked pro-gun bills that would have repealed Florida’s open carry ban. The 2nd Amendment is absolute—there’s no “but” in 2A,” said Twitter user @LouisLJJohns. 

Never forget: Paul Renner voted against my interests. In 2018, @Paul_Renner backed the Parkland gun control bill, while @ByronDonalds stood strong and voted against it. As House Speaker, Renner then blocked pro-gun bills that would have repealed Florida’s open carry ban. The 2nd… pic.twitter.com/DQbqKkPe2i

— Louis (@LouisLJJohns) September 3, 2025

This reflects the prevailing sense that Renner’s posturing about the Second Amendment rings hollow among Florida’s grassroots conservative base who desire concrete reforms. 

Renner’s record underscores an uncomfortable truth about Republicans. Despite often claiming to be pro-gun on the campaign trail, they can turn into the most insidious threats to gun rights once in office. By paying lip service to the Second Amendment while blocking or watering down key reforms, their betrayals are both subtle and dangerous.

This reality demands constant vigilance from grassroots gun owners. They must pressure representatives continuously and hold even self-proclaimed allies to account, ensuring loyalty not to the party but to fundamental constitutional principles. As Renner’s tenure proves, the Second Amendment endures not through blind trust in politicians, but through the tireless activism and scrutiny of elected officials themselves. It’s this activism that keeps politicians in line.

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About José Niño

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.