Florida Senate set to block proposal lowering long-gun purchase age
Florida State University
, the state Senate appears poised to scuttle a controversial proposal that would allow people under age 21 to buy rifles and other long guns.
Senate Rules Chairwoman Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, said Monday her committee won't take up a House measure (HB 759) that would lower the minimum age to 18.
Passidomo said the decision against taking up the House bill was made before the shooting Thursday at Florida State University that killed two people and injured six others. The alleged gunman, the stepson of a Leon County Sheriff's deputy, was also shot as police officers quickly responded to the scene.
After a 2018 mass shooting at
Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
that killed 17 people, the legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott approved a number of changes, including increasing the minimum age for long-gun purchases to 21. Federal law has long set the minimum age at 21 for handgun purchases.
"I haven't changed my position in how many years," Passidomo, a former Senate president, said. "I've been clear from day one that I'm not going to replace Parkland. I was there."
The Rules Committee plays a key role in determining which bills make it to the Senate floor. The legislative session is scheduled to end May 2.
The House on March 26 voted 78-34 to repeal the law that increased the minimum age for long-gun purchases to 21. If the Senate does not take up the bill, this would be the third year in a row that the House has approved such measures with the Senate not passing them.
Passidomo was the Senate president during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions.
Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a Democrat who was the mayor of Parkland at the time of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, said she was cautiously optimistic that the repeal measure wouldn't advance.
"I hope that it's done for this session," Hunschofsky told reporters on Monday. "But as we know, nothing is done until we sine die (an expression for adjourning the session)."
Bills filed in the Senate as counterparts to the House measure have not been heard in committees. Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, has not taken a clear public position when asked about whether he supports repealing the gun-age law.
After the law passed in 2018, the National Rifle Association quickly launched a constitutional challenge. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in March ruled 8-4 against the NRA.
But the issue is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who took office in February, has said he would not defend the law.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
10 minutes ago
- The Hill
House GOP campaign arm launches ad campaign tying NY, NJ Democrats to Mamdani
The National Republican Congressional Campaign is tying lawmakers in New York and New Jersey facing competitive reelection bids to Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani in a new paid digital advertising campaign unveiled Friday. The campaign targets New York Reps. Laura Gillen (D), Tom Suozzi (D) and Josh Riley (D), along with New Jersey Rep. Nellie Pou (D). The 30-second spots feature a picture of Mamdani and the lawmakers with the caption: 'Together we can raise taxes, defund the police, and build a socialist New York.' The NRCC did not specify the amount of money behind the effort, but described the buy as 'modest.' 'If Democrats had their way, Mamdani's pro-criminal, open-borders, anti-law enforcement, and antisemitic agenda would be the law of the land,' said the committee's spokeswoman Maureen O'Toole. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) hit back in their own statement on Friday. 'Laura Gillen, Tom Suozzi, and Josh Riley are laser focused on delivering real solutions for their constituents, and voters in their districts aren't buying these baseless and desperate attacks,' said DCCC spokesperson Riya Vashi. 'It's clear Republicans would rather talk about who the Mayor of New York City may be than answer for their own toxic agenda because they know that slashing health care and raising costs on working families to give tax breaks to billionaires isn't exactly a winning message.' The effort comes as Mamdani is set to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Friday in Brooklyn. Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have not yet endorsed Mamdani. The Democratic nominee was in Washington on Wednesday for a closed-door breakfast hosted by progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). A number of House Democrats in attendance praised Mamdani following the event including Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). This is not the first time House Republicans have sought to tie their Democratic counterparts to New York City politics. Last year, Republicans worked to tie Democrats to corruption allegations against Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for reelection as an Independent. Democrats note they flipped three New York seats and reelected Ryan in the face of those attacks last year.
Time Magazine
11 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
U.S. Rolls Back $9 Billion for Foreign Aid, Broadcasters
PBS and NPR executives have criticized a bill the Republican-controlled House passed 216-213 early Friday that cancels federal funding for the public broadcasters. 'These cuts will significantly impact all of our stations, but will be especially devastating to smaller stations and those serving large rural areas,' PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement following a Senate vote on Thursday that progressed the bill. PBS says it gets 15% of its funding from the federal government, and some 70% of total government spending on public broadcasting goes to over 1,500 local television and radio stations. NPR is also expected to feel the impact of cuts. While the broadcaster receives roughly 1% of its funding from the government, 36% of its funding comes from member stations, which are partly government funded themselves. 'Nearly 3-in-4 Americans say they rely on their public radio stations for alerts and news for their public safety,' CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. The bill cuts $1.1 billion in spending for public media and $7.9 billion in foreign aid that had already been approved. The Senate approved the bill a day earlier in a 51-48 vote after removing cuts for the PEPFAR HIV/AIDS prevention program. PEPFAR, launched by George W. Bush in 2003, is credited with saving over 25 million lives. Two Republican Senators, Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), joined Democrats in voting against the bill, as did House Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) and Mike Turner (Ohio). President Donald Trump wrote 'This is big!' on Truth Social following the House vote. He is expected to sign the bill into law around 2:30 p.m. local time. The Lancet medical journal published a report in June that said ongoing cuts to foreign aid 'could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million deaths among children younger than 5 years.' The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officially closed earlier this month, after more than 80% of its programs were cut.
CNBC
11 minutes ago
- CNBC
Deputy Treasury Secretary: Legislative clarity will give people confidence to utilize crypto
Michael Faulkender, deputy Treasury Secretary, joins CNBC's 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the House passage of key crypto legislation.
