Gov. Ron DeSantis signed nine bills from the 2026 regular session into law on Thursday, including a measure that allows volunteer security guards at houses of worship to carry guns without facing state licensing requirements
The bill (SB 52) creates an exemption from state law that regulates private investigative services, private security services, and repossession services.
Joshua Burdick, care pastor at Campus Church in Pensacola, told members of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee in January the licensing requirements could be triggered for people deemed volunteer security officers. He said a “significant gray area hinders our ability to protect our church responsibly.”
A Senate staff analysis of the proposal noted that research spanning from 2000 to 2024 found 379 incidents of violence in churches, mosques, synagogues and other places of worship in the U.S. resulted in 487 deaths and 172 injuries.
“The majority of homicides at houses of worship are not related to the religious ideology of where they occur, but the killings that are ideologically motivated have been among the most deadly,” the staff analysis stated.
The law is effective July 1, the start of the next fiscal year.
Other bills signed by DeSantis late Thursday evening include measures to add driving without a license to the offenses that tag someone as a “habitual traffic offender” (HB 35); and preventing airports from charging plane owners certain fees (SB 422).
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This article appears in Apr. 23 – 29, 2026.