Florida House Republicans took a bold step Wednesday to roll back a post-Parkland gun restriction, voting 13-5 along party lines in the Criminal Justice Subcommittee to approve HB 759.
The bill would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to buy rifles, shotguns, and handguns from private sellers, undoing part of a 2018 school-safety law enacted after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre that barred such purchases from licensed dealers.
Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-Pensacola), a sponsor, framed the measure as a fix to a legal inconsistency, arguing that if 18-year-olds can vote, serve on juries, and join the military, they should enjoy full Second Amendment rights.
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Democrats fired back, invoking the memory of the Parkland shooting, where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 17 with a semi-automatic rifle. Rep. Robin Bartleman (D-Weston) recalled survivors and families pleading for tighter laws.
“We owe it to them not to go backwards,” she said. Current law lets those under 21 receive long guns as gifts but bans purchases—a gap HB 759 would widen by greenlighting handgun buys from unlicensed sellers, per a staff analysis.
The 2018 restriction, signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott, faced an NRA lawsuit claiming it violated constitutional rights.
Federal courts, including the 11th U.S. Circuit, upheld it, but the full appeals court took up the case in October and has yet to rule.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis recently hinted he’d back revising gun laws, boosting the bill’s momentum, though companion Senate bills remain unheard.
Wednesday’s hearing drew a packed house. The NRA, Gun Owners of America, and Florida Carry cheered the bill, with Luis Valdes of Gun Owners arguing it empowers young women like his daughter to defend themselves.
Opponents, including Moms Demand Action and the League of Women Voters, warned of heightened risks from impulsive youth.
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“We must think harder and longer,” Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa. “Eighteen-year-olds don’t need guns. We don’t let them drink alcohol for a reason.”
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