TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – For years, lawmakers have tried to overturn a Florida law banning individuals under 21 from buying guns.

Now a Republican-led bill advancing through the statehouse could lower the age required to buy firearms statewide.

If the measure passes, Floridians 18 and older would be able to purchase a long gun, like rifles.

House Bill 759 cleared its committee stops in the House and is all set to be debated on the floor. But in order for it to arrive at the Governor’s desk, there needs to be movement over in the Senate, and it’s unclear if that will happen this legislative session.

“It’s hard to have a policy discussion when there’s so much emotion in the room, and I think that’s what happened years ago when the original bill was passed,” said State Representative Michelle Salzman, (R-Escambia County).

Following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in 2018, then Governor Rick Scott signed a package of gun safety measures, including the provision raising the gun-buying age from 18 to 21. That hasn’t stopped lawmakers from trying year after year to roll back restrictions on the gun-buying age.
“In a matter of minutes, a 19-year-old walked into my high school and killed 17 and injured 17 more, a matter of minutes,’ said State Representative Dan Daley, (D-Coral Springs).

The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Salzman said while she respects the criticism following this issue, she still feels strongly about moving forward with these efforts.
“This is real raw emotion, these are things that they could probably close their eyes and just see everything replay, even now many years later,” said Rep. Salzman. “As I said in committee, we are legislators, and we really need to remove the emotion from the process and make true logical choices that are best for the constituency and for Floridians.”

Salzman notes that getting this bill passed has been a House priority for years now and was honored to carry the bill this session. She touts the relationship she has with lawmakers across the aisle, as well as the empathy she has for the concerns that surround the issue.

“I’ve had serval events in my own community where we have people in Pensacola who are living at home with young children, 18- and 19-year-old single moms who have not had the opportunity to have that and they have expressed to me that they would like to purchase a firearm for the protection of their home,” Rep. Salzman said.

Salzman adds that in response to the Parkland shooting, she supports a great deal of the bill package that was passed in 2018, but has one problem, the age restrictions to purchase a firearm.

In opposition to the bill, Broward County School Board Chair, Debbie Hixon, shared her connection to the Parkland shooting.

“To me, this feels like salt being poured into an opened wound, families very early into grief and shock of what happened, came up here to Tallahassee and asked you to do something and you did it, you did it as a bi-partisan body, that believed in the things that were in this bill, and you know what, it made out communities safer,” said Hixon. “And now you want to repeal things, and to me, that makes me feel like you have forgotten who my husband and the other 16 victims were,” Hixon said.

Even with the public testimony, the bill still passed, 16 YAYS-6 NAS.

WHY IS THERE NO TRACTION IN THE SENATE?

State Senator Randy Fine, (R-Brevard County), filed similar legislation and said he believes citizen’s 2nd Amendment rights start when you are an adult.

“I think that the critics, while I understand where they are coming from, but I think they have to ask themselves, if they don’t believe 18-year-olds should be adults then they should be willing to put that forward as policy,” said Sen. Fine. “They should say at 18 you can’t own a gun, you shouldn’t vote, you shouldn’t be in the military, you’re either an adult or you’re not.”
When asked about this specific bill, State Senate President Ben Albritton continues to be hesitant to give a firm answer on gun legislation.

“This is not easy, it’s not easy. I’m an NRA lifetime member. Nearly every day I carry at least one weapon; I have a concealed carry permit. The legislature passed permitless concealed carry, constitutional carry. That shows this legislature takes a second amendment seriously,” said President Albritton.
Representative Salzman said she will continue to re-file this bill if it does not make it through the 2025 legislative session, but she remains hopeful it will start moving in the Senate.

“I think you’re going to see the House file this bill every year until it gets passed,” said Salzman. “Getting it done would be great, so we don’t keep putting these families through this, coming up here and having these conversations and having to relive those nightmares.”