The state of Florida is fairly pro-gun, but not as pro-gun as many of us would like to see. Still, they’re not that bad on guns and there’s little reason to believe they’re going to slide the way of California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. I just don’t see it getting to that degree.
Yes, even after Oxford.
For one thing, that was Michigan. While Floridian lawmakers jumped after Parkland, that sense of urgency simply won’t be present in the state this time around. That doesn’t mean anti-gun lawmakers won’t try and capitalize on it, though.
Last week’s school shooting massacre in suburban Detroit prompted Sen. Tina Polsky this week to highlight four bills she previously introduced to prevent tragedies like that from happening in Florida — again.
Polsky filed four bills in October and November that would tighten gun regulations in several ways, by addressing gun construction, ammunition and gun storage, as well as adding those deemed mentally incompetent to a database that would alert law enforcement that they shouldn’t have a gun.
The Democrat from Boca Raton called the bills common-sense legislation to keep people safer without infringing on gun rights.
“It shouldn’t take yet another mass shooting at a high school to deal with the gun violence brought about by irresponsible and reckless gun owners,” Polsky said in a statement. “These bills that I am filing are an important common-sense set of steppingstones designed to make our state safer.”
The bills include a ban on so-called ghost guns, a requirement that people undergo a background check to buy ammunition, and another that would penalize anyone who “left” a gun anywhere a minor could access it.
Of the four, this is the only one that’s not absolutely horrible:
— SB 402, filed Oct. 2, would require the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to submit information on those not legally eligible to possess firearms into the Florida Crime Information Center.
Basically, that really just makes sure that those who are prohibited are listed as such in that particular database. I don’t know that it’ll do anything, since those individuals are already apparently listed in NICS and thus are prevented from buying a gun.
Interestingly, Polsky claims these bills would have prevented what happened in Oxford, but that’s highly unlikely. Further, there’s no reason to believe they would prevent a mass shooting from happening in Florida, either.
After all, most mass shooters either purchase their firearms legally because they have no criminal record or if they’re too young, they steal them from a parent or other adult. Background checks won’t stop that.
While it may appear that strengthening “requirements to keep guns out of the hands of those younger than 18” may sound like a solution, it really is punishing parents who were also victimized by their own children. After all, those kids would have stolen the parents’ guns.
Of course, Polsky can file all the gun control she wants. Governor Ron DeSantis isn’t signing them at all. In fact, his press secretary confirmed the governor’s support of the Second Amendment to me on Wednesday.
In other words, it ain’t happening and if Polsky doesn’t know that, then she’s too stupid to be allowed to remain in office.
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