Gun Reform

An appeals-court decision this month striking down the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms has affected another law establishing places where guns are off-limits, according to law-enforcement officials and some gun-rights proponents.Attorney General James Uthmeier quickly embraced the Sept. 10 open-carry decision by a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal as “the law of the state” and issued guidance for prosecutors, police and sheriffs warning them not to arrest or put on trial “law-abiding citizens carrying a firearm in a manner that is visible to others.”The decision overturned a 1987 law that made it a misdemeanor to visibly display guns. While people were barred for decades from openly carrying guns, they could get concealed-weapons licenses.

The Biden administration this week urged a U.S. district judge to toss out a Florida lawsuit challenging a new federal rule that requires more gun sellers to be licensed and run background checks on buyers, disputing state arguments about lost tax revenue from gun shows.

A change in federal gun laws should make it more difficult for people without licenses to buy weapons.

A House Republican on Thursday renewed an attempt to lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 for people to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida, potentially reversing part of a law that passed in the aftermath of the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Rep. Bobby Payne, R-Palatka, filed the proposal (HB 1223) for consideration during the 2024 legislative session, which will start Tuesday. The House passed a virtually identical bill during the 2023 session, but the Senate did not take up the issue.

Floridians no longer need a permit to carry a concealed firearm, and gun owners are overwhelmingly opting out of the safety and educational training once required for a license.Firearms instructors are seeing a dramatic drop in student sign ups for such courses, which teach safety and explain the state’s laws about where and how gun owners can lawfully carry pistols and legally use them in self defense.

Two House Republicans filed a proposal this week that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other "long" guns.

The Florida Supreme Court will hear arguments tomorrow in a dispute about a 2011 state law that threatens stiff penalties if city and county officials pass gun-related regulations. The so-called ‘preemption law’ is being challenged by more than 30 local governments and dozens of local officials, as well as Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried. We talk with Fried about the lawsuit and issues around gun violence. Fried is also a Democratic candidate for Governor.