Yes, stun guns are legal in Florida. Any adult who is not a convicted felon can own one and carry it for self-defense, concealed or openly, without a permit or license. The rules tighten around who can possess one, where it can be carried, and what happens if it is used to threaten rather than defend.
Carrying a Stun Gun in Florida
Florida law exempts nonlethal stun guns from its concealed-weapons restrictions when the device is carried for lawful self-defense. The statute protects “a nonlethal stun gun or dart-firing stun gun or other nonlethal electric weapon or device that is designed solely for defensive purposes” carried in a concealed manner.1Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms You do not need a concealed-weapon license to keep one in a purse, pocket, or vehicle.
Open carry works the same way. Florida generally prohibits openly carrying electric weapons but exempts nonlethal stun guns carried for personal protection.2Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons Whether the device sits visibly on your belt or hidden in a bag, the carry is lawful if the purpose is defense.
The key phrase in both provisions is “designed solely for defensive purposes.” Carry a stun gun to threaten or harm someone and the exception no longer applies, and ordinary weapon penalties take over.
Who Cannot Possess a Stun Gun
Two groups are shut out of Florida’s permissive approach.
Convicted felons. Florida flatly bars anyone with a felony conviction from owning or possessing any electric weapon. The ban is categorical, not tied to parole conditions. A felon caught with a stun gun commits a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, even if the device was never used.3Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.23 – Felons and Delinquents; Possession of Firearms, Ammunition, or Electric Weapons or Devices Unlawful The same rule reaches juvenile offenders under 24 whose delinquent act would have been a felony if committed by an adult. This catches people off guard; many assume the restriction only applies to firearms.
Minors under 16. Children under 16 may not use an electric weapon unless an adult supervises them with the parent or guardian’s consent.4Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.22 – Use of BB Guns, Air or Gas-Operated Guns, or Electric Weapons or Devices by Minor Under 16 Years of Age An adult who knowingly lets an unsupervised child under 16 have one commits a second-degree misdemeanor.
Where Stun Guns Are Off-Limits
Even lawful owners cannot bring a stun gun everywhere. Restricted locations include:
- Elementary and secondary schools, administration buildings, and career centers. Possession on school property is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.5Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.115 – Possessing or Discharging Weapons or Firearms at a School-Sponsored Event or on School Property
- Courthouses, polling places, police and sheriff stations, detention facilities, and meetings of legislative bodies or local governing boards.6Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm
- Any portion of an establishment primarily devoted to serving alcohol for on-premises consumption.
- Airport sterile areas beyond the security checkpoint.
College and University Campuses
Colleges follow a narrower rule. Florida bans weapons on college campuses generally but allows registered students, employees, and faculty to carry a stun gun on campus if the device is nonlethal, designed solely for defensive purposes, and does not fire a dart or projectile.6Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.06 – License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Concealed Firearm Contact stun guns are permitted; dart-firing models like Tasers are not.
Federal Buildings
Federal property has its own rules. Knowingly bringing a dangerous weapon into a federal facility is a federal crime carrying up to one year in prison, and up to two years for a federal court facility. The maximum rises to five years if the weapon is brought for use in a crime.7govinfo. 18 U.S.C. 930 – Possession of Firearms and Dangerous Weapons in Federal Facilities The federal definition of “dangerous weapon” is broad enough to cover stun guns.
Penalties for Misuse
When the self-defense exception does not apply, carrying becomes an offense. Unlawful concealed carry of an electric weapon is a first-degree misdemeanor, with up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.1Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 790.01 – Carrying of Concealed Weapons or Concealed Firearms Unlawful open carry is a second-degree misdemeanor, with up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.2Justia Law. Florida Statutes 790.053 – Open Carrying of Weapons In practice, these charges arise when someone carries a stun gun to intimidate rather than defend.
Using a stun gun to threaten someone can support an aggravated assault charge, a third-degree felony with up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.8Justia Law. Florida Statutes 784.021 – Aggravated Assault Carrying one during a robbery escalates the charge to armed robbery, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.9Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 812.13 – Robbery
Flying and Driving With a Stun Gun
Stun guns cannot go in carry-on luggage. The TSA allows them in checked bags only if the device is rendered inoperable, typically by removing the battery or cartridge, and the airline is notified at check-in.10Transportation Security Administration. Stun Guns/Shocking Devices Bringing one through a checkpoint can trigger a civil penalty ranging from $450 to $2,570.11Transportation Security Administration. Civil Enforcement
Packing correctly is not the end of the analysis. Florida’s permissive approach is not universal, and no federal safe-passage law protects stun gun transport the way the Firearm Owners Protection Act protects firearm transport.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 U.S. Code 926A – Interstate Transportation of Firearms If you fly or drive into a state that restricts or bans stun guns, you can be arrested under that state’s law regardless of your Florida rights. Check every state along your route before you travel, and leave the device at home when in doubt.