Florida Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, has introduced a bill that would lower the minimum age to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer in Florida from 21 to 18.
The measure — Senate Bill 94 — would repeal a provision of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act passed in 2018 that raised the minimum age to 21.
“When you turn 18, you will be eligible to enlist in our nation’s finest armed forces and be entrusted with a rifle to defend our country,” Fine said in a statement explaining his proposal. “I believe if you can use a gun to protect our nation, you should be able to buy one.”
Fine said that after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act was passed, “I committed to addressing the inconsistency that allows an 18-year-old to obtain a firearm from a parent or purchase one in a private transaction, but not in a licensed firearms dealer. Before I leave the Senate, I want that done.”
Fine will resign from the Senate effective March 31 as he seeks a seat in Congress in an April 1 special election to fill a vacancy.
What Florida law currently is
Florida Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, has introduced a bill in the Florida Senate to lower the age for purchasing a rifle or shotgun from a licensed firearms dealer from 21 to 18.
The Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act was passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Scott after the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Seventeen people were killed in that shooting – fourteen students and three staff members – and another seventeen people were injured.
The shooter was a 19-year-old who had legally purchased an AR-15-type rifle a year earlier.
Under the law, the sale of a rifle or shotgun by a licensed dealer to a person under the age of 21 is a crime of the third degree. There are exceptions if the buyer is a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, or military member.
Fine’s bill would not affect the nationwide minimum age of 21, under federal law, associated with the sale of a handgun by a licensed dealer.
Last year, a Florida House bill similar to Fine’s was sponsored by Florida Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island. It was approved in the House by a vote of 76 to 35. Fine – then a member of the Florida House – co-sponsored Sirois’ bill, House Bill 1223. But there was no companion bill in the Florida Senate that year for Sirois’ bill.
Representatives of gun rights organizations spoke in favor of Sirois’ bill during House committee hearings, while representatives of gun control organizations spoke in opposition.
According to an analysis of Sirois’ bill by the Florida House Judiciary Committee, it is not a crime under Florida law for a private party to sell or transfer a firearm to a person who is 18 years of age or older, but less than 21 years old. age.
Also, a minor under the age of 18 may not possess a firearm, except for those who are at least 16 years old and engaged in hunting, target shooting, or other legal recreational shooting activity, under the supervision of an adult.
Most states have a minimum age of 18 for the purchase of long guns.
According to the Florida House Judiciary Committee’s 2023 analysis, Florida is one of eight states with a minimum age of 21 to purchase a long gun. The others are California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Additionally, three states have a minimum age of 21 specifically for semi-automatic rifles: Connecticut, New York and Washington.
Sirois said he plans to continue working on the firearms issue during Florida’s 2025 legislative session, and expects a House bill to supplement Fine’s Senate bill will be introduced.
This is the second high-profile piece of legislation Fine has introduced this week. On Monday, Fine introduced a bill that would repeal a 2014 state law that provides tuition discounts to Florida residents who are undocumented immigrants.
Leaving for congressional run
On November 26, Fine announced he would resign from the Florida Senate so he could run for Congress in US House District 6, in an effort to succeed Michael Waltz, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as the next national security agent. advisor.
That special election for U.S. House District 6 will take place on April 1, and Fine’s required resignation so he can run for office will take effect on March 31. District 6 is a six-county district in the Daytona Beach area, and does not include Brevard County. Trump has endorsed Fine in this race, and Fine — a Melbourne Beach resident — does not have to live in the congressional district to run for the seat.
Fine will face off against two other Republicans for the congressional seat in the Jan. 28 primary. If Fine wins the primary, he will face the winner of a three-candidate Democratic primary, a Libertarian candidate, a no-party candidate and a write-in candidate, in the April 1 special general election.
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Sen. Fine: Allow the sale of rifles and shotguns to people who are at least 18 years old
