She announced the action as officers for the Capitol Police testified to a select House committee on the insurrection.
“The deeply disturbing events that occurred at our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6 were sedition, treason and domestic terrorism — and those individuals involved in the insurrection must be held accountable for attempting to subvert our democratic process,” Fried said.
“Since charges began being filed, we are using our lawful authority to immediately suspend the licenses of 22 individuals involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol. This is an ongoing effort, and as charges and sentences continue in the wake of this despicable attack, we will further suspend and revoke any additional licenses granted to insurrectionists.”
The Division of Licensing falls under the jurisdiction of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. That means Fried, the lone Democrat on the Florida Cabinet, holds authority over the suspension of concealed carry permits.
State law allows suspension of licenses for individuals charged with felonies and other disqualifying offenses. Notably, charges have not been announced for many of the individuals arrested in connection to the riot.
A significant concentration of individuals arrested for involvement in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol come from Florida. A Gannett investigation last month found Florida ties Texas for the number of people facing charges, and arrests have occurred since those findings were published.
While Fried’s office by law cannot identify which individuals arrested have ever applied for or received a concealed carry permit, several of the individuals arrested were outspoken gun rights advocates.
Fried also has a history of friction with gun rights groups in the state of Florida. The Agriculture Commissioner earlier this year filed a brief in support of a challenge to a state law preempting local gun regulations. That drew a rebuke from the National Rifle Association.
Fried is one of the leading Democratic candidates for Governor.
This article first appeared at Florida Politics.
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This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2021.
