TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Is Florida ready for the open carrying of firearms or even a repeal of some of its post-Parkland gun protections? A few Florida lawmakers think so, filing bills to make it happen.
State Sen. Randy Fine (R-Melbourne), who’s running for Congress in a heavily Republican district, wants to change the firearm purchase age in Florida from 21 to 18. In a statement, the Melbourne Republican said he was trying to address inconsistencies in Florida law.
“When you turn 18, you are eligible to enlist in our nation’s finest fighting forces and are entrusted with a rifle to defend our country,” Fine said. “I believe that if you can use a rifle to protect our nation, you should also be able to purchase one.”
Fine’s legislation comes days after Florida Rep. Dr. Joel Rudman (R-Milton), who’s running to replace Matt Gaetz in another red congressional district, filed HB 31.
The bill allows the open carrying of firearms, and it ends Florida’s red flag law. Since the Parkland reforms, the policy has allowed friends, family, or law enforcement to ask a judge to strip away firearms from those deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Rudman told us it’s got to go to bolster the second amendment. That’s despite support from some fellow Republicans, police, and sheriffs who think the law has saved lives.
“So there's absolutely no safety issue involved with my bill,” Rudman said. “Again, there's an old saying that goes, ‘Those who are willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserve neither.’ And I absolutely 100% agree with that.”
Both of the bills likely face steep odds of passing. The former Senate President, Sen. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples), said lowering the buying age was a “nonstarter” for her earlier this year. The new Senate President, Sen. Ben Albritton (R-Bartow), was down on open carry, given the widespread opposition from law enforcement.
Democrats, meanwhile, are likely to be universally opposed. Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-Orlando) wanted to go in the opposite direction and tighten current gun laws next session.
“Downtown Orlando, we had a mass shooting on Halloween that law enforcement said permitless carry prevented them from doing security screenings,” the lawmaker said. “We need to have conversations around this to protect public safety.”
His fellow Democrats are likely to propose many of their familiar gun safety bills in the next session. Look for universal background checks, ammo limits, and assault weapon restrictions to appear perennially. To date, none have gotten traction in the firmly GOP-controlled legislature.
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