Florida Moves to Reverse Post-Parkland Law
A Florida bill that would reverse a post-Parkland law and lower the minimum age to buy rifles to 18 passed committee last week.
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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.
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