TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — For another consecutive year, Florida Republicans want to lower the firearm purchase age to 18, down from the current minimum of 21. The ongoing push has seen previous bills pass in the state House but face obstacles in the Senate. However, this year there’s a renewed sense of possibility.
On Wednesday afternoon, the latest version of the legislation—House Bill 759—cleared its first committee hearing with a split vote.
Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-Cantonment) is sponsoring the legislation. She argued the change was about fairness.
“At 18 to 20 years old, you can be tried for crimes and sentenced to death,” Salzman said. “You can enter into contracts. You can sue. You can be sued. You can get married and you can own property. House Bill 759 seeks to rectify an inconsistency in our legal framework by ensuring all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full Second Amendment rights.”
If the bill becomes law, it would allow 18 to 20-year-olds to purchase long guns from licensed dealers across the state. However, handguns would largely remain restricted to those 21 and older due to federal regulations.
As with previous attempts, the debate over the bill has sparked familiar arguments. Supporters see it as a move to restore Second Amendment rights, while opponents have raised concerns about the safety and maturity of young gun owners.
Among the backers, Rep. Shane Abbott (R-Marianna) suggested that if young adults are expected to serve in the military, they should have the right to purchase firearms at home.
“If we’re going to expect 18-year-olds—and you can be 17 with parental consent—to defend us in a country that’s foreign to us, why wouldn’t we give them the opportunity to do it here in their own country?” Abbott said.
Rep. Robin Bartleman (D-Weston) countered, pointing to the extensive training that military service members receive before being entrusted with firearms.
“The service members who go to sacrifice their lives—and I am so grateful to every single one of them—but they are trained,” Bartleman said.
Many Democrats have argued that Florida is backtracking on important, bipartisan policies put in place after the 2018 Parkland shooting, which sought to increase gun safety. Rep. Dianne Hart (D-Tampa) made her position clear, emphasizing the dangers posed by easy access to firearms for young people.
“If you all just look at the statistics in my neighborhood, you will better understand why every single year I fight so hard for these kids not to have access to guns,” Hart said. “They are children.”
While the Florida House has passed similar age reduction legislation before, the measure faltered in the Senate due to opposition from leadership. This year, however, Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Bartow) has signaled openness to the idea.
“The most important thing I want to do is to do what's right,” said the new leader. “Certainly the most important thing that I don't want to do is make a mistake. So I'm thinking through that on what that could or could not look like.”
It remains unclear where Senate leadership will ultimately end up on the issue. Sen. Jay Collins (R-Tampa) has introduced an upper chamber version of the bill to lower the purchase age. However, it has yet to be scheduled for its first committee hearing, leaving the path forward uncertain.
Age limits aren’t the only gun policy on the table this session. Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has also expressed support for a repeal of the state’s Red Flag laws, which allow courts to confiscate firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. DeSantis has argued that they’re unconstitutional.
“They can go in and say, this person's a danger,” DeSantis said last week. “They should have their firearms taken away, which is property, in addition to being something connected with a constitutional right. And then the burden shifts. You have to prove to a court that you are not a menace or a threat. That's not the way due process works.”
Some Parkland parents, however, including Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was killed in the 2018 shooting, argue against rolling back reforms. Montalto, who now heads the school safety advocacy group Stand With Parkland, warned that dismantling Red Flag laws could have dangerous consequences.
“These laws have been used over 15,000 times since they were implemented,” Montalto said. “With numbers that large, you know we've protected people and we've saved lives along the way.”
Montalto advocates for further school safety improvements but remains concerned about reversing progress.
“Florida got it right when we changed the laws by bipartisan effort and working together across the aisle following the Parkland shooting,” Montalto said. “Really, none of those provisions should be changed because we've been very successful in protecting our students and teachers throughout the state.”
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