As the new legislative session begins Tuesday, Florida lawmakers are once again taking up gun laws, sparking opposition from families of the 17 victims killed in the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
A newly introduced bill would lower the minimum age to purchase a gun from 21 to 18, reversing a measure passed in response to the Parkland shooting. Debbie Hixon, whose husband Chris was killed that day, opposes any rollback of the law.
“That law has really saved a lot of lives across the state,” Hixon said.
Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter Gina Rose Montalto was among the victims, also opposes the measure.
Debate over guns on college campuses
Another bill under consideration would allow firearms on college and university campuses. Montalto believes that only well-trained security personnel should carry weapons in those settings.
“Well-selected and well-trained should be the ones with weapons on campus,” Montalto said. “I don’t feel that our students are in such jeopardy that they need to carry as well.”
FIU sophomore Vinh Le also expressed concerns.
“If everybody has a gun, then it might cause shootings,” Le said.
Lawmakers and leadership weigh in
State Sen. Randy Fine, who introduced the Senate versions of both bills, defended the proposals. His office referred to past press releases, in which he stated:
“The Second Amendment does not take the semester off when you step on a college campus.”
Regarding lowering the gun purchasing age, Fine argued the current law is inconsistent.
“After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act passed in 2018, I committed to addressing the inconsistency that allows an 18-year-old to be given a firearm by a parent or purchase one in a private transaction but not from a licensed firearms dealer,” he said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has also voiced support for open carry in Florida.
Hixon, Montalto, and other Parkland families plan to travel to Tallahassee to speak with lawmakers in an effort to prevent changes to existing gun laws.
