American Notes FLORIDA

If Floridians felt a cool breeze last week, it might have been the entire state breathing a collective sigh of relief. The legislature voted unanimously to close a legal loophole that allowed anyone to carry a gun -- "pack a piece," in the parlance of Miami Vice -- so long as it was visible.

A new gun law that went into effect Oct. 1 liberalized requirements for owning and carrying a concealed weapon, but inadvertently erased a ban on openly carrying sidearms. Many residents feared that Miami, already saddled with one of the nation's highest homicide rates, would become the Dodge City of the Sunbelt. Some shop owners posted signs warning DON'T CARRY YOUR GUNS IN HERE. Police expressed concern, and the tourist industry faced a hurricane of bad publicity; editorial cartoonists dubbed Florida the "Gunshine State." Said one state representative after the loophole was closed: "I think we've taken the first step to restoring sanity to our streets."