DeSantis signs bill requiring law enforcement return seized firearms to owners following arrests

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Friday requiring law enforcement return firearms to their owners if the weapons were seized during an arrest.

The legislation requires law enforcement return any weapons, electric weapons or devices, or arms taken from a person during an arrest, so long as the weapon is not needed for evidence or seized and subject to forfeiture.

The weapon must be returned to the individual upon 30 days of law enforcement receiving a request.

The individual also must have met the qualifications of being released from detention, provide a government-issued photographic identification and a completed criminal history background check.

The bill, SB 1286, was sponsored by Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa. Reps. Robbie Brackett, R-Vero Beach, and Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, filed the House companion bill, HB 485.

The legislation came following recent priorities by the governor and Republicans to ease gun restrictions in the state and allow for more people to have legal access to firearms.

In 2023, DeSantis signed a law that allowed Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a “government-issued permit.”