Florida suspends concealed weapons permits of 22 people facing charges related to Capitol riot

Florida suspended the concealed weapons permits Monday of 22 individuals facing charges involving the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Nikki Fried, the commissioner of Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, announced the suspensions immediately after a congressional hearing about the attack concluded on Capitol Hill.

“The deeply disturbing events that occurred at our nation’s Capitol on January 6th were sedition, treason and domestic terrorism – and those individuals involved in the insurrection must be held accountable for attempting to subvert our democratic process,” said Ms. Fried, a Democrat running for Florida governor in 2022.

“This is an ongoing effort, and as charges and sentences continue in the wake of this despicable attack, we will further suspend and revoke any additional licenses granted to insurrectionists,” she said.

More than 500 people around the U.S. and counting have been charged with federal crimes involving the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including at least 55 residents of Florida, more than any other state.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which runs the state’s concealed weapon licensing program, is authorized to suspend the firearm permits of people charged with felony offenses.

License holders that are ultimately found guilty of felony offenses risk having their permit revoked entirely as a consequence of their conviction, Ms. Fried’s office explained in a news release.

The department also said it is prohibited from confirming or denying if a person has sought or received a concealed weapon license, meaning the identities of those affected are not publicly available.