HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Ryan G. Thomas is a firearms instructor who teaches thousands of people through the software company he co-founded — Warrior Cloud — and in-person classes at his office in Brandon.
“Over the last seven years, we’re trained 82,000 people,” he said.
He knows guns and is a big believer in the Second Amendment. Still, as Florida becomes a permitless carry state starting Saturday, July 1, Thomas is a little scared because of all the misinformation he says is out there.
“100%,” he said. “Like, people don’t have, really, a clue what this law means.”
The new law will allow legal Florida gun owners to carry a concealed gun without a permit.
But what will the law not allow?
Thomas is seeing several big misconceptions.
The law won’t allow open carry, which is openly displaying a gun on your body.
“While we are allowed to open carry in some situations like fishing, camping, and hunting, this permitless carry bill does not allow open carry in all situations across the state,” Thomas said.
The new law also won’t allow you to carry in certain places, like airports and schools.
Finally, the law doesn’t give gun owners the right to defend themselves in all scenarios with impunity.
“They think I’m just going to shove the gun in my waistband, and because I watch a John Wick movie, now I’m actually ready to use a gun in self-defense,” Thomas said.
That’s why he thinks classes like his are still a bargain, even if they’re not required.
Without that knowledge, the consequences can be heavy.
“My mentor Myron Golden calls it unconscious incompetence. There are certain things in our lives we don’t realize how little we know about a certain subject until we actually start diving into it,” Thomas said. “People should not be carrying a firearm without a deep understanding of this because the consequences are very heavy. You might kill yourself. You might kill your child. You might go to prison for the next 20 years because you did something you thought you were allowed to do, and the truth is, you’re just not allowed to do it.”
Click here to learn more about what the new law will and won’t allow.
