TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Efforts to challenge a Florida law banning individuals under 21 from purchasing guns have been ongoing since it was signed in 2018. This law was enacted in response to the Parkland school shooting, which remains one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
With new conservative leadership in the Florida legislature, there is renewed momentum among lawmakers to consider revoking the age restriction. State Representative Michelle Salzman, advocating for the change, sees potential progress as the bill, aimed at reducing the legal age for gun purchases to 18, moved forward in the House committee. Salzman asserts that it is essential “all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full Second Amendment rights.”
The 2018 legislation was a direct reaction to intense lobbying from the Parkland shooting survivors and victims’ families. The shooter, a former student, was 19 years old and legally allowed to purchase firearms under then-current state law. The shooting sparked statewide appeals for governmental action as witnesses and relatives traveled to Tallahassee during the legislative session, urging change. Less than a month after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy, then-Gov. Rick Scott enacted a series of gun reform measures, including increasing the purchase age from 18 to 21, with Parkland families present. The National Rifle Association quickly contested the law, and the matter is still unresolved in federal court.
Florida has a history of progressing gun rights expansion, yet gun control proponents and some influential Republicans have resisted the reversal of existing restrictions. This proposed legislation garners support from Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez and Governor Ron DeSantis, who argue that at 18, individuals deemed mature enough to enlist in the military should similarly have the right to buy firearms. DeSantis emphasizes, “They come home and they can’t even buy a rifle to go hunt. Are you an adult or not?”
The state Senate, however, has traditionally shown greater hesitance in this arena. New Senate President, Republican Ben Albritton, has historically sided with law enforcement in cautioning against reducing other firearm restrictions. He stated he’s contemplating the change, yet underscored the importance of avoiding missteps.
Opposition to the proposed age reduction remains strong, fueled by the grief and activism incited by the Parkland shooting. Fiona Shannon from the League of Women Voters highlighted enduring memories and questioned whether lawmakers “have forgotten the pain of Parkland?” State Rep. Robin Bartleman, previously a school board member in the affected county, denounced the bill as disrespectful to families who strived for the current law. Bartleman strongly advocates against reversing safeguards achieved post-Parkland.
During the previous two years, then-Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican, deemed any legislative attempt to lower the age for purchasing guns as unacceptable in the Senate. This resistance resulted in the House’s passage of related bills without Senate counterparts.
The latest legislative proposal involves both House and Senate bills aiming to reduce the firearm purchase age to 18. Passage of such bills would permit residents 18 years and older to legally buy long guns, including rifles and shotguns, from federally authorized sellers or through private purchases. Federal law would still restrict handgun purchases from licensed dealers to those 21 and older.
A recent January ruling from a U.S. appeals court found the federal mandate requiring buyers to be 21 to purchase handguns to be unconstitutional, claiming it infringed upon Second Amendment rights.
