Guns

An American citizen who fought as an independent militia in Ukraine has been sentenced to consecutive life sentences in federal prison as a result of his convictions for conspiracy to commit robbery and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, robbery interfering with commerce, discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence which resulted in death, conspiring to kill persons in a foreign country, and a violation of the Neutrality Act. Lang was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $10,886 to the family members of the victims of the offenses. Craig Austin Lang, 35, of Surprise, Arizona, was sentenced by United States District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell.

In the aftermath of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, The State of Florida is taking new measures to stop political violence.

People with guns can begin carrying them openly on streets and inside businesses or restaurants where owners don’t object, from the Florida Keys to the Panhandle, the attorney general says.Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier clarified Monday the ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeals in Tallahassee – whose jurisdiction runs from Gainesville through the Panhandle. Uthmeier said the court’s ruling was effective “now,” but his spokesman said there was a 15-day window to exhaust an opportunity for an appeal that will never happen.

Starting Monday and running through the end of the year, Florida will provide a sales-tax exemption on a variety of hunting equipment, the first time a state tax “holiday” includes guns and ammunition.

Amid a long-running legal battle about the issue, a Republican state senator Tuesday proposed repealing a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who is running in a special election for a congressional seat, filed the proposal (SB 94) for consideration during the 2025 legislative session, which will start March 4. The bill is similar to a measure that passed the House during the 2024 session but failed in the Senate.

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.

The rate of guns stolen from cars in the U.S. has tripled over the last decade, making them the largest source of stolen guns in the country, an analysis of FBI data by the gun safety group Everytown found.The rate of stolen guns from cars climbed nearly every year and spiked during the coronavirus pandemic along with a major surge in weapons purchases in the U.S., according to the report, which analyzes FBI data from 337 cities in 44 states and was provided to The Associated Press.

A lawsuit filed by a Fort Myers man over the removal of weapons and ammunition, much of it antique, from his home by the Lee County Sheriff's Office in March 2020 claims there were violations of the state constitution as well as damage done to materials taken.The suit was filed by W. Alecs Dean March 29 in Lee County Court and seeks damages up to $100,000.

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.