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Florida Republicans are attempting to roll back state laws on the legal age of gun ownership, which was raised following the deadly 2018 Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead.
A bill sponsored by congresswoman Michelle Salzman would lower the legal gun-buying age back down from 21 to 18 so that “all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full Second Amendment rights.”
“The ability to purchase and utilize a firearm is your constitutional right, and reinstating those rights is the right thing to do for Floridians,” Salzman said on Wednesday. “We must stop infringing on the constitutional rights of law-abiding adults who are old enough to serve in our military and make other significant life decisions.”
The bill cleared its first committee stop in the House on Wednesday, with the GOP-controlled House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voting 13-5 along straight party lines to approve the proposal.
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“Concerns about the maturity of 18- to 20-year-olds have been raised,” Salzman said. “But this group is already entrusted with significant responsibilities, such as voting, serving on juries and enlisting in the armed forces.”
Florida’s age of gun ownership was raised to 21 in 2018 following a massive lobbying effort by survivors and family members of the 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which is one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
The horrific killings were carried out by a former student, Nikolas Cruz, who was 19 years old and legally able to buy guns under the state’s laws at the time.
Weeks later, following the lobbying attempts, then-Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a package of gun safety measures, including the provision raising the gun-buying age.
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Within hours, the National Rifle Association filed suit to challenge the law, a dispute that is still playing out in federal court.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the committee heard from both sides of the aisle, including pro-gun safety groups and others such as the NRA, Gun Owners of America, and Florida Carry.
“As a father, I want my daughter to be armed when she is under the age of 21 and she is living outside my house, so she is able to protect herself,” Luis Valdes of Gun Owners of America told the House panel, per CBS. “Right now, the law disarms women. It disarms our college students.”
Others argued from the stance of child development. “We must think harder and longer,” said Democratic congresswoman Dianne Hart. “Eighteen-year-olds don’t need guns. We don’t let them drink alcohol for a reason. They are not ready yet.”
