Pro-freedom lawmakers in the Florida legislature are pushing forward three measures that would recognize rights that have previously been restricted, and all three bills were recently approved by overwhelming margins in their respective Florida House subcommittees.
House Bill 17 would change when the mandatory waiting period would end for firearm purchases. The law currently states: “The mandatory waiting period is 3 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or expires upon the completion of the records checks required under s. 17 790.065, whichever occurs later.”
The proposed revision reads: “The mandatory waiting period is 3 days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, or expires upon the completion of the records checks required under s. 17 790.065, whichever occurs earlier.” In effect, the proposal, if passed, would ensure the waiting period expires three days after the purchase.
House Bill 1223 would lower the age requirement for purchasing a firearm from a licensed dealer. The current minimum in Florida is 21 years of age, but this measure would reduce that to 18.
While most constitutionally protected rights are recognized for 18- to 20-year-old Americans, many states continue to consider those adults to be second-class citizens when it comes to practicing their Second Amendment rights. However, several different courts have found such laws unconstitutional just in the past few years.
Finally, House Bill 1615 would repeal an entire section of law denoting a number of provisions that automatically go into effect when a public disorder state of emergency is declared. If the law should pass, activities that would no longer be automatically prohibited include the intentional possession of a firearm in public, the sale of firearms or ammunition and the intentional display of ammunition or firearms in a store.
“This is a section of Florida law that automatically terminates a constitutional right just because a local sheriff or other designated public official declares a state of emergency,” Rep. Tommy Gregory, who filed the law along with Rep. Tyler Sirois, said in the subcommittee meeting. “I don’t think that we should have provisions in Florida law that violate the constitution. I think as we look for those areas in law, we should repeal them.”
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