The Florida legislature has passed a new bill that adds restrictions on gun sales and gives some teachers the ability to carry weapons in the school.
The “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act” passes 67-50 in the Florida House, which is applauding Parkland dad Andrew Pollack.
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) March 7, 2018
The bill now goes to gov Rick Scott pic.twitter.com/FEzCVis8xk
SB 7026 was just passed in the Florida house floor. pic.twitter.com/JckcNXmTYi
— Carolyn Sung (@CarolynSungCNN) March 7, 2018
Here are the details from CNN:
– Raise the age to purchase a firearm to 21 from 18;
– Require a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases, with some exceptions;
– Ban the sale or possession of bump fire stocks, which allow a semiautomatic weapon to fire more like an automatic weapon;
– Give law enforcement more authority to seize weapons and ammunition from those deemed mentally unfit or otherwise a threat;
– Provide additional funding for armed school resource officers and mental health services.The state Senate on Monday amended the most contentious provision in the bill, which would establish a voluntary program that allowing school personnel to be armed if they undergo 144 hours of training.
Under the change, those who “exclusively perform classroom duties as classroom teachers” wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the program. Teachers who perform additional duties, like coaching football or heading the drama club, would be allowed to participate, as would other school staff like
I really don’t like the fact that you can’t buy a gun under the age of 21. If you’re 18 and you live in a bad neighborhood – or regardless – you should be able to defend yourself with a firearm. Period.
Now if you’re like me and you want to know what the exceptions are to the three day waiting period this bill imposes, here they are (I copied this directly from the latest bill posted today at 7:46 pm):
(2) The 3-day waiting period does shall not apply in the following circumstances:
712 (a) When a firearm handgun is being purchased by a holder of a concealed weapons permit as defined in s. 790.06.
714 (b) To a trade-in of another firearm handgun.
715 (c) To the purchase of a rifle or shotgun, upon a person’s successfully completing a minimum of a 16-hour hunter safety course and possessing a hunter safety certification card issued under s. 379.3581. A person who is exempt from the hunter safety course requirements under s. 379.3581 and holds a valid Florida hunting license, is exempt from the mandatory waiting period under this section for the purchase of a rifle or shotgun.’
722 (d) When a rifle or shotgun is being purchased by a law enforcement officer or correctional officer, as those terms are defined in s. 943.10(1), (2), (3), (6), (7), (8), or (9), or a servicemember as defined in s. 250.01.
This should have the effect of making more people apply for concealed carry permits, which is actually a good thing.
The governor has vowed to go line by line in this bill, which you can read here (warning: it’s 105 pages). I’m betting he signs it as is, though, given how tough it is to get a bill like this through a Republican legislature.