Florida Long Gun Purchase Age Reduction Faces Setbacks After FSU Incident

Recent efforts to reduce Florida's minimum age requirement for long gun purchases appear to be losing momentum following a tragic shooting at Florida State University. The proposed change would have reversed the 2018 post-Parkland legislation that raised the purchasing age from 18 to 21.

Earlier this year, House Bill 759 successfully passed through the Florida House of Representatives with a significant 78-to-34 majority. However, the legislation has since stalled in Senate committees as certain Republican senators expressed hesitation about supporting the measure.

The recent deadly incident at Florida State University seems to have further solidified opposition against the bill, pushing previously undecided lawmakers to withhold support. Despite Governor Ron DeSantis's strong endorsement, the bill's prospects for passing during this legislative session have significantly diminished.

Governor DeSantis has been a vocal advocate for the age reduction since the beginning of the legislative session. During his state of the state address, he remarked, "I can tell you that we, in spite of us saying we're the Free State, in spite of us being like, 'Oh, we're this Republican conservative bastion,' we've definitely lagged on that issue. The free state of Florida has not exactly led the way on protecting Second Amendment rights. We need to be a strong Second Amendment state."

However, on April 21, Senate Rules Chairwoman Kathleen Passidomo, a Republican, announced that her committee would not consider the House-approved measure. While Passidomo claimed this decision preceded the FSU shooting, the timing of her announcement has raised questions.

"I haven't changed my position in how many years," Passidomo, the former Senate president, stated. "I've been clear from day one that I'm not going to replace Parkland. I was there."

This represents the third consecutive year where the Florida House approved similar legislation only to see it stall in the Senate. A legal challenge to the current age restriction led by the NRA was unsuccessful in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, though it could potentially reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, Florida's new Attorney General James Uthmeier has expressed disagreement with the age limitation and indicated he will not defend it in court.

Critics of the Senate's reluctance point out that political considerations may be overshadowing logical analysis. The FSU shooter reportedly used his stepmother's service weapon in the attack—a handgun that would not have been affected by the proposed legislation. Furthermore, the current bill specifically addresses long gun purchases, not handguns.

The continued enforcement of the higher age requirement creates a paradoxical situation where 18-year-old Floridians can vote and serve in the military but cannot exercise their Second Amendment rights regarding long gun purchases until turning 21. With the Senate's apparent unwillingness to consider the bill, this restriction will continue to impact young adult Floridians between 18 and 20 years of age.