TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In a dramatic turn, Republicans in the Florida Senate rolled out a plan to address gun violence in the state.
It includes a new age limit on buying assault rifles, a longer waiting period and expanded background checks.
The proposal unveiled in the state Legislature on Monday would limit the sale of assault weapons to those older than 21, add a 3-day waiting period to the sale and expand background checks.
Florida’s unofficial nickname, “The Gunshine State,” is not undeserved. One in 49 Floridians has a concealed weapons permit—more than any other state in the country.
And for the last decade, gun laws in Florida have only gone in one direction: expansion.
This year proved to be no different. According to a 9 Investigates analysis, there are 31 bills dealing with firearms in some way, and 11 of them are gun control bills.
None of the gun control bills have been scheduled for a hearing.
Of the five gun-related bills that are actually moving forward, all five would expand gun rights—from allowing concealed weapons in church to an exemption to the ban of guns on college campuses.
"The view from the Florida Legislature has been that gun-free zones are the problem,” said Dr. Rick Foglesong, political science professor at Rollins College.
Since 2000, Florida has dramatically expanded gun rights, according to Foglesong, but he said public sentiment may be turning.
“One can’t underestimate the power of video and sound,” he said.
Those videos, captured by students inside the school, have flooded social media in the wake of the Parkland shooting.
Cox Media Group
