Florida’s legislature could lower the minimum age to buy rifles to 18, reversing a previous measure that raised it to 21.
HB 759 recently passed Florida’s House Criminal Justice Subcommittee and would allow 18-year-olds to now buy long guns in the Sunshine State. The bill aims to overturn the previous law set forth after 2018’s mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Currently, federal law prohibits those under 21 years of age from buying pistols. Republican lawmakers say it’s time to grant 18-year-olds equal rights as their elders.
Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-District 1), the bill’s sponsor, said 18-year-olds can vote, serve in the military, and even get married; therefore, they should be able to own firearms.
She clarified that the bill “seeks to rectify an inconsistency in our legal framework by ensuring that all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full Second Amendment rights,” Salzman told local NPR station WUSF.
But Democrats disagree, saying the reversal is not only dangerous but an affront to survivors of the school tragedy.
“To go backward is a slap in the face,” Bartleman said, citing research from Everytown for Gun Safety. The analysis by the anti-gun group indicates that 18-to-20-year-olds use guns to commit homicide at three times the rate of those in the 21 and over age bracket.
HB 759 still has to clear the House Judiciary Committee before heading to the House floor for an official vote.
Should 18-year-olds be able to buy long guns? Let us know what you think in the comments below. For more on what’s happening in the gun world, check out our News page.
3 Leave a Reply
What party of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand? If you can vote and be be drafted at 18, everything else has to come with it... unless the age of majority goes back to 21.
Unless you are military or honorable discharged the only long gun you should be able to buy below 21 is a single shot 22 long gun. You can learn everything need you need to know about firearm safety and usage with a 22.
It is a tough question. You can't have it both ways. Should we take away their other rights?
Booze should be illegal if we really want to save lives..