Bill introduced in Florida to repeal gun restrictions put into place after the Parkland shooting.

A memorial at the school. The Hill.

A new bill introduced in Florida would repeal gun control restrictions put into place after the Parkland shooting. The Hill. Representative Mike Hill, a Republican, introduced the bill. It would remove the restriction on 18-20 year olds buying rifles and would also revoke the extremely controversial "Red Flag" laws. Hill is a new Representative and said he needed to defend the constitution. It is unclear if such a bill would pass as the original bill passed with 20-18 in the state Senate and in the House passed 67-50. Republicans still hold both the House and the Senate but lost a few seats during election. However, new governor Ron DeSantis is pro gun rights and said he would have veto'ed the gun control law. 

My Comment:

An encouraging sign in Florida as the restrictions put into place after the Parkland shooting were horrible. I will get into how likely they are to pass but I first want to talk about the laws that were passed. 

First, the one that restricted the rights of 18-20 year olds to buy rifles was terrible. I have never liked the idea that the 2nd amendment doesn't apply to people that can vote or join the military and get killed overseas. I'd go further than this bill and allow handguns for 18-20 year olds as well, but that would run afoul of federal regulations. 

The red flag laws are even worse. Seizing someone's firearms just because someone arbitrarily decides they are a "threat" with no due process is a violation of not only the 2nd amendment but the 4th and 5th amendment as well. You can't just take peoples guns just because you don't like what they have said. If they have committed a crime or have some kind of diagnosed mental issue, sure but there should be some kind of trial or due process rights involved. 

Both of these laws were horrible and should have never been passed in Florida. How they did in a state controlled by Republicans is beyond me but I think it had something to do with the other main part of the bill that allowed some guns in schools under a "guardian program". Even with that compromise, the bill was horrible and never should have been passed.

Will it pass now? I am not so sure. It seems as though some of the GOP people that voted for the law would have to change their votes now. I don't know enough about Florida state politics to know if that is likely. The Demcorats took a few seats so the margin of error is even thinner. 

One thing is for sure is that Ron DeSantis would sign the bill repealing these laws. It is very lucky that the effort to steal the election from him failed. If he can get the votes in the House and Senate then this bill is done. If any of my readers are from Florida I would encourage them to call or write their representatives to get this bill passed.