(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Parkland family member says there’s no good reason to repeal age limit to purchase a firearm [1] ['Mitch Perry', 'More From Author', '- January'] Date: 2024-01-30 With the sixth anniversary of the shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland just two weeks away, Tony Montalto, who lost his daughter Gina in that tragedy, says there is no reason to backtrack from the safety measures the state of Florida has implemented in the immediate aftermath of that attack. “I’m here today because an 18-year-old purchased a weapon and later terrorized my local high school killing 17 and wounding 17 others,” Montalto told the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Tuesday afternoon. He was there testifying in opposition to a bill (HB 1223) sponsored by Northeast Republican Bobby Payne and Brevard County’s Tyler Sirois that would lower the age to legally purchase a long gun in Florida from 21 to 18. That measure was part of a comprehensive gun safety package that the Legislature passed just a few weeks after the Parkland shooting in Broward County. Montalto told the committee of a couple of recent events in South Florida that show that the law should not be changed, including an incident at Deerfield Beach High School in Broward County on Monday. Two teens are facing charges after loaded firearms, loaded magazines and illegal drugs were found inside a car in the parking lot of the school campus. “Clearly, our teachers and students are still at risk while they’re at school,” he said. The one-page bill removes the 21 years of age: A person younger than 18 years of age may not purchase a firearm. The sale or transfer of a firearm to a person younger than 18 years of age may not be made or facilitated by a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer. A person who violates this subsection commits a felony of the third degree. There were numerous other members of the public who said it would be a mistake for the Legislature to reduce the legal age to purchase a firearm in the state. “To reverse the policies enacted in response to the tragic 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting, is to invalidate the lives lost to this horrific event. It’s only been six years,” said Juliana Tripodi, the president of Leon High School’s chapter of Students Demand Action. “Some of the most notable and deadly school shootings were committed by young adults, like the ones at Sandy Hook and Marjory Stoneman Douglas. This is terrifying to me and to students all across the country. As a 17-year-old junior in high school I should not be scared every time there is an announcement in school or a fire alarm goes off.” But Second Amendment supporters insisted that it was unfair to penalize young people from being able to purchase a gun when they’re allowed to perform other duties that require maturity. “Floridians under the age of 21 can be law enforcement officers at 19,” said Luis Valdes with Gun Owners of America. “They can enlist in the military. They can even run for offices as lawmakers to make laws. The fact that the state has determined they don’t have the mental capacity to own a firearm is ludicrous, when we entrust them with the very authority to carry a firearm and enforce that very law.” Rep. Payne was in the Legislature in 2018 and voted for the gun safety package that year. He told the committee that the provisions in that law have made Florida one of the safest states in the nation. But he said that the requirement that bans people under 21 from purchasing a long gun put Florida out of the mainstream of the country. “It aligns Florida’s laws for the purchase of rifles and shotguns, with the rights of 43 states in the nation,” he said. The measure passed along party-lines, 11-5, but whether it will become law is in doubt. Like a similar proposal that moved through the Florida House last year, it does not yet have a Senate equivalent, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo stated her opposition to it last year. The 2024 version also has yet to have a companion bill filed in the Senate. [END] --- [1] Url: https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/01/30/parkland-family-member-says-theres-no-good-reason-to-repeal-age-limit-to-purchase-a-firearm/ Published and (C) by Florida Phoenix Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/floridaphoenix/