You know the old saying: The only thing that stops a bad guy with a giant foam finger …

If two Florida lawmakers have their way, by next football season Jaguars fans will be able to bring a now-prohibited item into home games: handguns.

Well, not the "home" game in England. But if you have a concealed weapon permit in Florida, you would be able to bring your gun through the gates at EverBank Field.

You’d also be able to take it into your local police station, jails and prisons, city council and school board meetings, polling spots and school campuses.

You’d be able to take it into bars and college football games — and, in the case of the annual Florida vs. Georgia tilt, a college football game that has a reputation for being like a bar.

Sen. Dennis Baxley of Ocala and Rep. Don Hahnfeldt of The Villages filed Senate Bill 908 and House Bill 803. The two lawmakers believe that eliminating these and other places where guns are banned by state law will make these places safer. Some of us think that mixing football, testosterone, alcohol and guns is a recipe for turning fistfights into much worse.

I don’t doubt the lawmakers’ sincerity. As divided as Americans are about gun laws, I think this is an issue where everyone actually wants the same thing: To feel safe where they live, work and play.

But we often seem to disagree on what will lead to that. Some Americans would like to see gun laws like in England. Some would like to see people openly carrying AR-15s into EverBank Field. Most, I think, fall somewhere in the middle.

This question — where should concealed weapons be allowed and prohibited? — is particularly significant in Florida.

In 2012, Florida officials announced that the number of concealed weapon permits issued had hit 1 million, a first for any state in America.

Five years later, we’re up to 1.7 million permits, making us No. 1 with a lot of bullets.

In his book "Oh, Florida! How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country," Craig Pittman writes that he suspects many Floridians carry concealed weapons because of the news that so many Floridians carry concealed weapons.

"It’s a combination of peer pressure and fear — call it fear pressure," Pittman wrote. "Let’s say you get into a spat with your neighbor over hedge trimming. Do you want to be the one who brings clippers to a gunfight?"

Fistfights, often fueled by alcohol, certainly do break out at football games. The Washington Post ran a story last season about the "quietly escalating issue" of fan violence, pointing to an average of 6.34 arrests per game. The NFL, which prohibits weapons at games, clearly doesn’t believe adding guns to the mix will make their venues safer.

When I asked the Jaguars, City Hall and Sheriff’s Office if they had a reaction to the lawmakers’ proposal, only the Jaguars took a stance.

"The presence of police and other layers of security, including magnetometers at every gate, are there to provide a safe environment for guests," said Dan Edwards, Jaguars senior vice president. "We would not want concealed weapons inside the stadium."

This isn’t the first such proposal. One recently was introduced by lawmakers in Washington state (but, in a staunchly blue state, has little chance of becoming law and affecting Seattle Seahawks games). In Florida, where we have a football stadium with swimming pools, such a law would raise a question you wouldn’t find elsewhere: Is it possible to conceal a weapon in a bikini?

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, would like to make that a moot question. He has filed a half dozen gun bills and is pushing for allowing for the open display (of firearms) in more public areas, saying this will make law-abiding citizens safer.

In Jacksonville, I think we all can agree, gun violence continues to be an issue and the solution continues to remain elusive. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry held a news conference Wednesday morning, flanked by law enforcement and city leaders, to announce plans to use new technology.

Curry hasn’t been shy about jumping into national debates in the name of public safety in Jacksonville. For instance, he came out in support of President Donald Trump’s travel ban involving seven countries. But in the case of this — state law that would affect a wide array of places in Jacksonville — the mayor’s staff said: "He is focused on working with law enforcement to ensure we have the tools to target criminals who use guns, not law-abiding citizens who exercise their rights. The mayor will leave it to elected legislators to propose and consider changes to Florida statute."

Sheriff Mike Williams also passed on taking a side, at least for now.

"Right now there are no less than 11 gun bills that have been filed in the Legislature referencing concealed firearms or removal of gun carry restrictions in some form," he said. "I continue to monitor the activity on the proposed legislation, in conjunction with the Florida Sheriffs Association legislative committee, as well as watching what is being done in other states. It’s very early in the process. I will weigh in when we see what bills actually move forward and might result in a policy change."

If the bills proposed by Baxley and Hahnfeldt pass, there still will be places where federal law prohibits guns — although while campaigning for president, Trump pledged to eliminate gun-free zones.

"My first day, it gets signed, OK?" he said. "My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones."

He later sent some mixed messages on this topic and a month into his presidency hasn’t changed federal policy. (In many cases, it’s not as simple as presidential stroke of a pen.)

It’s worth noting that even if these Florida bills become law, private property owners still will be able to prohibit concealed weapons — as has been the policy at a Trump golf course.

So if Baxley’s and Hahnfeldt’s vision becomes reality, Floridians still won’t be able to carry a putter and a pistol into some places. But they will be able to bring a gun into their local football stadium, courthouse and more.

mark.woods@jacksonville.com,

(904) 359-4212