Florida Senate president, an NRA member, gets teary over Parkland as rifle law stalls
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted 16-6 to approve the bill (HB 759), which would lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 21 to 18. Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Dania Beach, joined Democrats in opposing the bill.
The Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott increased the minimum age for gun purchases to 21 after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people.
The House approved repeal bills in 2023 and 2024, but the measures did not get through the Senate. With the Legislature ending its third week of this year's regular session, a Senate bill (SB 920) that would roll back the age limit has not been heard in committees.
Asked about the issue Wednesday, Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, tearfully recalled walking the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and seeing damage from the mass shooting. But he also said he takes serious Second Amendment rights and is a lifetime National Rifle Association member.
'I don't have an answer for that right now,' Albritton said. 'Like I do everything. I am thinking this through.'
House bill sponsor Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, pointed Thursday to people in her community who are under 21 and want to have guns for safety.
'We have people in Pensacola who are living at home with young children, 18-, 19-year-old single moms, who have not had the opportunity to have that,' Salzman said. 'And they have expressed to me that they would like to be able to purchase a firearm for the protection of their home.'
Broward County School Board Chairwoman Debra Hixon, whose husband Chris Hixon was killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, told the House committee that a repeal of the law would indicate lawmakers 'have forgotten who my husband and the other 16 victims were.'
'I believe my job as a public servant is to make sure that my students are safe and that they get home every day,' Hixon said. 'I do believe that's also your job as legislators for our state.'
But Luis Valdes of Gun Owners of America said rolling back the age law would admit a mistake when the Legislature 'violated' the Second Amendment in 2018.
'Most importantly, the issue with this legislation is that it disarms women. It disarms young people,' Valdes said. 'It disarms my own daughter. She's 5 years old right now, but when she becomes 18, if she decides to move out of my house and attends college, I want her to be able to defend herself.'
Federal law has long barred people under 21 from buying handguns.
Thursday's vote came less than a week after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-4 against an NRA challenge to the 2018 law. The panel majority said, in part, the law maintains access as people under 21 can still receive rifles and long guns as gifts from family members.
But the issue is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who took office in February, said he would not defend the law.
'Notwithstanding CA11's opinion today, I believe restricting the right of law-abiding adults to purchase firearms is unconstitutional,' Uthmeier posted Friday on X, referring to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Also, Uthmeier wrote that if the 'NRA decides to seek further review at SCOTUS (the Supreme Court), I am directing my office not to defend this law. Men and women old enough to fight and die for our country should be able to purchase firearms to defend themselves and their families.'
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled he would support changes to state gun laws, including the gun-age restriction.
Albritton said he's working with attorneys and Senate staff members to understand the potential 'ramifications' of Uthmeier's announcement that he would not defend the law.
'I've got a respect for every branch of government and have not made any decisions about that at this point,' Albritton said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
Targeting Obama, Trump's Retribution Campaign Takes Another Turn
This is what Washington thought retribution would look like. When President Trump started his second term, there were deep fears among current and former Justice Department officials, legal experts and Democrats that Mr. Trump would follow through on his repeated promises to 'lock up' or otherwise pursue charges against high-profile figures like Liz Cheney, James B. Comey and former President Barack Obama. Mr. Trump quickly went after perceived enemies — but not always the anticipated ones and often not in the anticipated ways. Displaying a willingness to weaponize the federal government in ways that were as novel as they were audacious, he took on a wide variety of individuals and institutions — from law firms and universities to journalists and federal bureaucrats — that he felt had crossed him, failed to fall in line or embodied ideological values that he rejected. But on Tuesday Mr. Trump reverted to earlier form, resurfacing — in a remarkably unfiltered and aggressive rant — his grievances against Mr. Obama, prominent figures in past administrations and others he associated with what he considers a long campaign of persecution dating back to the 2016 election. Seeking to change the topic at a time when he is under bipartisan political pressure over his unwillingness to do more to release investigative files into Jeffrey Epstein, he said the time had come for his predecessors to face criminal charges. 'He's guilty,' he said of Mr. Obama. 'This was treason. This was every word you can think of.' But if his enemies list was familiar, his capacity to pursue retribution appears to be expanding. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Fox News
a minute ago
- Fox News
Mahmoud Khalil refuses to outright condemn Hamas
Alexis McAdams provides details on Columbia University's disciplinary action against student protesters who took over a campus library. Fox News contributor Mary Katharine Ham discusses Mahmoud Khalil's meetings with congressional Democrats.
Forbes
a minute ago
- Forbes
Market Structure Proposals May Not Capture Crypto Momentum In Congress
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 18: U.S. President Donald Trump, surrounded by lawmakers, signs the 'GENIUS ... More Act' into law during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House July 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. The act, formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, was passed this week by the U.S. Congress. (Photo by) The cryptocurrency industry has achieved its most significant win in Congress to date, winning passage of the GENIUS Act, which would regulate stablecoins, earlier this month. Now, lawmakers and lobbyists are looking to capitalize on the momentum to pass other bills into law. However, the targets for doing so, with the most notable measure being a bill to formalize digital asset market structure rules, are likely to prove tougher to send to President Donald Trump's desk. Support from Senate Democrats for the cryptocurrency means there is a chance of doing so, but the process is likely to take several months and could stretch into legislation was always perceived as the low-hanging fruit for Congress on crypto, making its passage a key bellwether for the amount of bipartisan support for digital assets legislation. Market structure legislation, on the other hand, is seen as a much more complex undertaking. This is in part because some of the divides between lawmakers concern building-block definitions of the proposals, such as which tokens are considered commodities and which are securities. The answer to this question will determine whether the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission will be responsible for overseeing a given addition to debates over the text, there are possible political issues that could slow the progress of market structure legislation. One of these hurdles was on display during the House's crypto week in July, when conservative Republicans held up proceedings to advocate for the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act, a measure that divides lawmakers along party lines, to have a path to law. The concession, as reported by Punchbowl News, was for the House to include the proposal in its draft of the annual defense policy bill. However, it could still be stripped out by the Senate and reignite this debate when future crypto legislation is considered. Another challenge will be Trump's crypto businesses, with some early Democratic supporters of stablecoin legislation in the Senate, such as Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), expressing reservations about the market structure bill in a recent hearing due to the president's involvement in the cryptocurrency there are reasons for optimism that the current Congress will be able to pass crypto market structure legislation, even if the process is longer than some lawmakers would like. Notably, the House version, the CLARITY Act, attracted support from nearly 80 Democrats, a sign of the bipartisan interest in addressing the issue. Additionally, some of the newer Senate Democrats, including Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), appear to be potential supporters, with some having backed the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act last year. These members are joined by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who has been leading Democratic support in the upper chamber this year. At least seven Democrats will need to support the measure for it to pass the Senate, with this group of lawmakers likely to be among those Republicans look to for the House having passed its version of market structure legislation, the fate of the bill is now in the Senate's hands. However, the upper chamber does not appear to plan to take up the House-passed version simply, which Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, voiced concerns about in a recent hearing. Instead, leading Senate Republicans released a discussion draft, accompanied by a request for industry feedback, earlier this week. The text includes some differences from the House proposal, such as the creation of a new category of digital tokens called 'ancillary assets.'Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has said he hopes to pass the measure in the upper chamber by the end of September. However, pushback from Democrats could delay this process, even if the bill can be passed by the committee before then. Scott had pushed for a similarly ambitious timeline for the stablecoin bill, aiming to pass it within the first 100 days of Trump's presidency, and, likely, he will again miss this target. A more realistic goal could be the passage of market structure legislation in the Senate by the end of the year, but achieving this will depend on the ability to garner support from Democrats, as none are currently sponsoring the will ultimately get sent to Trump's desk is more likely to resemble whatever the Senate ends up passing, making it a process well worth following closely. When lawmakers return in September after the August recess, committee action in the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee and the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee will offer critical insight into just how likely Democratic support is and what it may take to garner the votes needed for market structure legislation to reach Trump's desk.
