TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) – Florida lawmakers moved forward with a controversial bill that could lower the minimum age to buy firearms.
Florida House Bill 1223 could be turning back time. The state House voted Friday in favor of lowering the age requirement to buy rifles and shotguns to 18, back down from 21.
Passage of the bill did not come without heated debate.
“Shame on us. Shame on us. We told the citizens of Florida that we were going to protect them,” staid Florida State Rep. Robin Bartleman from Weston.
But Republican State Rep. Bob Rommel from Naples defended the legislation citing the U.S. Constitution.
“Every American has the right to defend themselves. That’s why it’s the Second Amendment,” he said. “We need to do more to make sure Americans are protected against any threat at any time.”
Weeks after the Feb. 14, 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the minimum age to purchase firearms in the state was raised from 18 to 21.
Former Florida Gov. Rick Scott addressed the issue in March 2018.
“Today should serve as an example to the entire country that government can and must move fast,” he said. “I said at the beginning of this process, less than three weeks ago, that we have to be very careful as we balance our individual rights with our need for public safety.”
The Parkland shooting once fueled legislation to raise the age to buy rifles and shotguns, and some lawmakers want to keep it that way.
“We have a crisis in America, ladies and gentlemen, and the age is part of the problem,” said Democratic State Rep. Yvonne Hinson from Gainesville
But on Friday, other state lawmakers pushed to reverse this.
“They have the rights granted to them by God and that are enshrined in our Second Amendment, and by God, with this vote, we’re going to restore those rights to them once and for all,” said Republican State Rep. Joel Rudman from Navarre.
The House stayed largely within party lines in a 76-35 vote to pass the bill.
Federal law still prevents anyone under 21 from buying handguns.
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