Days after a Florida appeals court legalized the open carry of firearms statewide, a library manager in Miami Beach realized that would probably mean having to welcome visibly armed visitors to libraries.
“Here is my understanding of the law as it currently stands in light of the ruling. Neither Miami-Dade County nor [its library system] may prohibit open or concealed carry of firearms on library property,” Bryant Capley wrote in a Sept. 15 email seeking confirmation that open-carry rights would also apply to public libraries.
That email triggered a response from county attorneys laying out the limited exceptions to Florida’s new open-carry rules as one of the state’s largest local governments rushed to figure out where visible guns would be allowed…