Republicans in Florida's capitol restart push to lower the gun-buying age

A sign and about 2,849 white silk roses, planted by South Florida members of Moms Demand Action to symbolize Floridians shot and killed last year, in front of the Old Capitol, March 9, 2023 at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, file)

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — Gun rights advocates have fought to overturn a Florida law banning gun purchases by people under 21 ever since the day the measure was signed in 2018 following the Parkland school shooting, one of the deadliest mass killings in the U.S.

With new leadership in Florida’s Republican-controlled capitol, conservative lawmakers appear to have their best chance in years of persuading colleagues to roll back the law. A bill to lower the state’s gun-buying age to 18 would ensure “all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full Second Amendment rights,” state Rep. Michelle Salzman said Wednesday as the measure she’s sponsoring cleared its first committee stop in the House.

Here’s what to know about the bill:

Why did gun laws change after the Parkland shooting?

The law was passed following an extraordinary lobbying effort by survivors and family members of the 17 people killed in the Parkland shooting, which was carried out by a former student who was 19 years old and legally able to buy guns under the state’s laws at the time.

In the days after the Feb. 14 massacre, survivors and family members of victims descended on the state capitol to demand action from lawmakers, who were in the middle of their regular session. Some legislative leaders traveled to the crime scene, seeing with their own eyes the carnage in the classrooms.

Weeks after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, then-Gov. Rick Scott signed a package of gun safety measures surrounded by Parkland families, including the provision raising the gun-buying age from 18 to 21.

Within hours, the National Rifle Association filed suit to challenge the law. That dispute is still playing out in federal court.

Is Florida going to change its gun laws?

Florida has long been on the frontier of expanding gun rights. But gun control advocates — and some key Republicans — have resisted rolling back the restrictions.

The measure has the backing of Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez and Gov. Ron DeSantis. If 18-year-olds are mature enough to risk their lives serving in the military overseas, the governor says, they should have the right to buy guns.

“They come home and they can’t even buy a rifle to go hunt,” DeSantis told reporters. “Are you an adult or not?”

The measure has historically faced more resistance in the state Senate. The chamber’s new president, Republican Ben Albritton, has aligned with law enforcement officers in opposing the rollback of other gun restrictions, but has said he’s considering lowering the gun-buying age.

“I’m thinking through that,” Albritton said of the proposal earlier this month. “Certainly the most important thing that I don’t want to do is make a mistake.”

Who is opposed to lowering the gun buying age?

The Parkland shooting left a lasting impact on schools across the state and galvanized a new generation of Florida activists and elected officials.

“Have we forgotten the pain of Parkland?” asked Fiona Shannon, a volunteer with the League of Women Voters Seminole County who testified against the bill Wednesday.

Democratic Rep. Robin Bartleman, who at the time of the shooting was a school board member in the county that’s home to Parkland, called the bill “a slap in the face” to the families who fought for the law.

“We owe it to these families not to go backwards,” Bartleman said. “We can’t do this. It’s wrong.”

For the past two years, then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican, made clear that lowering the gun-buying age was a “non-starter” in her chamber. While a bill was passed by the full House during the last two sessions, no companion bills were filed in the Senate.

What are Florida lawmakers proposing now?

Legislators in the House and Senate have filed bills lowering the minimum age for buying a gun to 18.

If the measure passes, Floridians aged 18 and older would be able to purchase a long gun, such as a rifle or shotgun, from a federally licensed seller or in a private sale. Under federal law, those under 21 would still be barred from buying a handgun from a licensed dealer.

In January, a U.S. appeals court ruled against the federal law that young adults must be 21 to buy handguns, finding it violated the Second Amendment.

Article by Kate Payne.