What your safety team or pastor needs to know about firearms law, licensed guards vs. volunteers, and handling a disruptive visitor.
Florida does not ban firearms from churches, and state law actually authorizes licensed concealed carriers to carry on religious property for security purposes. But that same statute protects a congregation's right to set its own weapons policy, and the rules shift again once a church stands up a formal security team, whether volunteer or professionally staffed.
Fla. Stat. 790.06(12)(a) lists the places a concealed weapon license holder cannot carry, and houses of worship are not on that list. In 2021 the legislature added 790.06(13), which expressly authorizes a license holder to carry on property owned, rented, or used by a church for safety, security, or personal protection. That same subsection preserves the religious institution's private property rights, so a church can still adopt and enforce its own no-weapons policy.
A professional guard company operates under a Class D license per Fla. Stat. 493.6115 for unarmed duties, and any officer who will carry a firearm on duty must also hold the Class G statewide firearm license. Volunteer teams fall under a separate rule: Fla. Stat. 493.6102(16) exempts anyone who provides armed security services on a voluntary, unpaid basis at a church, mosque, or synagogue from Chapter 493 licensing entirely.
Once a church asks someone to leave and that person refuses, Fla. Stat. 810.09 makes it an offense to remain on the property after being warned by the owner or an authorized representative. If the person is armed when they refuse to leave, Fla. Stat. 810.08(2)(c) elevates armed trespass to a third degree felony, giving law enforcement a clear basis to arrest.
Yes. Fla. Stat. 790.06(13) explicitly preserves a religious institution's private property rights, so a congregation can post and enforce a no-weapons policy on property it owns, rents, or uses regardless of a visitor's concealed weapon license.
It depends on whether they are paid. Under Fla. Stat. 493.6102(16), a person who serves on an armed security team at a house of worship purely on a volunteer, unpaid basis does not need a Chapter 493 license. Anyone paid to provide that service must be licensed through the Class D/Class G framework.
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