Florida Will Include Gun Safety Tips With Weapons Licenses, Nikki Fried Announces

The goal is to prevent accidental shootings and to keep guns out of the hands of children.

Florida will begin adding gun storage safety tips when it mails concealed weapons licenses to its residents, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said at a news conference Wednesday. The flyers will also be available at offices of the FDACS Division of Licensing and tax collectors.

The goal is to encourage people to keep their guns locked, unloaded, and stored in a separate place from ammunition—among other tips—to prevent accidental shootings and to keep guns out of the hands of children.

“We believe in increasing education about these simple safety measures will help save lives,” said Fried, a Democrat whose department oversees concealed weapons licensing.

RELATED: Una Dura Realidad: Gun Violence Disproportionally Affects Black and Latino Communities. Here’s What Needs to Be Done.

Democratic state Rep. Dan Daley said the Republican-dominated Legislature has failed to take up gun safety measures.

In fact, despite the state ranking second in mass shootings, and with more than 2,568 people killed every year by gun violence, Republican leaders still fail to take action in support of common-sense legislation like universal background checks for gun buyers, assault weapon restrictions, a large capacity magazine ban, and strong concealed-carry laws that could prevent more tragedies.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who rates 6th on the chart of the 50 senators who have taken the most money from the National Rifle Association (NRA), has received an “A” rating from that organization and voted “No” on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a bill seeking to fund common-sense laws to control access to guns and to enhance school safety, mental health programs, and violence prevention.

Safety First

Among other measures, the tips will also ask if firearms are securely stored in homes your children visit, remind that firearms should always point in a safe direction, and caution to treat all guns as if they are loaded.

RELATED: Sens. Scott and Rubio Did It Again: They Turned Their Backs on Safe Gun Use

“This new initiative features common-sense and nonpartisan steps we can all take to prevent gun violence and accidental gun injuries and deaths. As a gun owner myself, I know what a responsibility it is to carry a firearm — and I know how important it is to take simple steps to help keep myself and the people around me safe,” Fried said. “The truth is that every single step we take to increase safety and prevent gun violence — big or small — could save a life.”

“Nobody’s coming for your guns. I think we just want to be safe and take a step in the right direction,” said Daley, who is a gun owner.’