Palm Bay, FL – Florida State Representative Monique Miller, newly elected in the state’s Republican Party and a board member of Moms for Liberty, is facing a fierce backlash from her party and gun rights advocates for reneging on a high-profile promise to file an open carry bill during the 2025 legislative session. Once hailed as a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights, Miller’s reversal has ignited severe outrage among constituents and conservative groups, who accuse her of betraying voters and lacking the political acumen she claims to possess.
- Advertisement -
Miller campaigned heavily on her commitment to expand gun rights, particularly open carry, in a state where it remains one of only five banning the practice. In fact, it’s the only red state (The Free State of Florida) that bans open carry. In multiple public statements, including radio appearances on Bill Mick Live, she “swore” to file the bill, emphasizing its importance for women’s self-defense and aligning herself with Governor Ron DeSantis, who has repeatedly endorsed the measure. “I’m a big gun rights person, and open carry is definitely one of my priorities during my legislative career,” Miller declared in the interview, asserting that the bill was in drafting and she was committed to seeing it through. Famous conservative TV Host Dana Loesch who is a fierce 2A advocate retweeted the betrayal herself.
Here is @RepMoniqueM on a radio show "swearing" she would file open carry. She literally ran on this bill. She put the bill in draft so no one else could file, and then killed open carry for another year in Florida. She lied. She owes us an explanation. https://t.co/hy5n5WPRNmpic.twitter.com/lKWjkh7CXb
But by late February 2025, that promise unraveled. Luis Valdes, Florida State Director of Gun Owners of America (GOA), took to X on February 20, 2025, to voice his frustration: “Gov. DeSantis said ‘It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing.’ He was referring to @RepMoniqueM filing GOA’s open carry bill. She promised multiple times to do it. Now she’s flip-flopping & says it isn’t the right time.” Valdes’s post, which garnered nearly 200k views, included a call to action for constituents to demand Miller follow through, providing her office number and framing her inaction as a betrayal of founding principles: “If the Founders had that attitude, we’d be Canada.”
The criticism escalated as other Republican voices joined the chorus. On February 28, 2025, Valdes doubled down in another post, lamenting, “@GunOwners backed @RepMoniqueM & she promised to file our open carry bill. She now says it isn’t the right time.” The accompanying image from the Bob Rose Show labeled her actions as “Treachery in Florida Legislature,” amplifying the narrative of deceit. Florida Gun Rights (@FLGunRights) piled on, reporting on March 1, 2025, that they attempted to deliver thousands of petitions to Miller’s district office demanding she file the bill, accusing her of “holding the bill hostage for several weeks” and letting the deadline pass, proving “her campaign promises to be as empty as her office on a Friday afternoon.”
Governor DeSantis himself weighed in on February 20, 2025, retweeting Florida Gun Rights’ alert and adding, “It’s never the wrong time to do the right thing…”—a direct jab at Miller’s claim that “the timing isn’t right.” The Brevard Republicans (@BrevardGOP) echoed this sentiment on March 2, 2025, tweeting, “Funny how some lawmakers seem more loyal to legislative leadership than the people who actually elected them. @GunOwners just want @RepMoniqueM to keep the promises she made on the campaign trail!” Similarly, @FrogNews accused Miller of “lying” to voters, citing her radio appearance where she “swore” to file the bill, only to “kill open carry for another year in Florida.”
In her Bill Mick Live interview, Miller attempted to deflect the criticism, blaming inexperienced lobbyists like Logan Edge, a recent transplant from Kentucky working for a gun rights group, for not understanding Florida’s legislative process. “He knows nothing about how the legislature works here,” she said, accusing such activists of “amateur moves” and alienating allies with their pressure tactics. She also pointed to Senate resistance, particularly from Senate President Ben Albritton, and sheriffs’ opposition as insurmountable obstacles, framing open carry as a “long game” requiring patience and strategic lobbying.
- Advertisement -
Gov. DeSantis said "it’s never the wrong time to do the right thing."
He was referring to @RepMoniqueM filing GOA's open carry bill.
She promised multiple times to do it.
Now she's flip-flopping & says it isn't the right time.
Yet, these excuses have only fueled perceptions of her own inexperience. Critics argue that Miller’s defense reveals a disconnect between her campaign rhetoric and the realities of Tallahassee politics—a gap she should have anticipated given her four years of activism with Moms for Liberty. “She put the bill in draft so no one else could file, and then killed open carry for another year in Florida. She lied,” @FrogNews declared on March 1, 2025, referencing her radio promise. America First Insight (@AFInsight) labeled her a “flake” who “betrayed her voters,” while @BrevardGOP suggested her loyalty lies more with legislative leadership than her constituents.
Miller’s claim that “it’s a challenge when the Senate says they’re not in” underscores the legislative hurdles, but it also highlights a perceived naivety. If she truly “swore” to see the bill through, as she claimed, her failure to navigate or even publicly challenge these obstacles—whether through Senate lobbying, grassroots pressure, or alliance-building—suggests she overestimated her ability to deliver. Her frustration with lobbyists for not understanding “how legislation works” rings hollow when her own excuses mirror the very process-related challenges she dismisses, leaving many to question whether she ever intended to file the bill or simply lacked the political savvy to follow through.
As the 2025 session progresses, the fallout from Miller’s reversal continues to grow, with Republicans and gun rights advocates demanding accountability. Her silence on the issue, coupled with the absence of any filed open carry legislation, has cemented her reputation as a politician who overpromised and underdelivered. Whether this marks the end of her rise within the party or a temporary setback remains to be seen, but for now, the open carry debate in Florida has become a cautionary tale of broken promises and political missteps.
