BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam announced Wednesday at the National Guard Armory in Panama City that the state has expedited concealed weapons permits for more than 80,000 active military and veterans.
With this in effect, members of the military automatically get taken care of first. This shortens the process of getting a concealed carry permit from a couple months to just a few days.
The change came after a shooting at a military reserve in Chattanooga, Tennessee two years ago where members of the military were killed.
Putnam and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis mentioned ISIS posted the names and addresses of men and women in the military on the internet. They say members of the military have become targets inside the United States.
“If they mail in their application, if they come to a regional office, they are processed first,” Commissioner Putnam said. “The use of that DD-214 [form] is a flag to move them to the top of the stack and make sure that active duty military and veterans are getting the protection they need.”