Florida House approves law allowing people under 21 to purchase guns
Key Points(5)
- The Florida House voted Wednesday to allow people under 21 to buy rifles and long guns, but the bill must still pass the Senate before it becomes law.
- The bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain, as similar repeal efforts in 2023 and 2024 failed to gain traction in the upper chamber.
- The current law, enacted in 2018 after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used a semiautomatic rifle to kill 17 students and faculty members in Parkland, raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21.
- Rick Scott signed the legislation, which was part of a broader school safety package passed in response to the massacre.
- Democrats fiercely opposed the repeal, with Rep.
The Florida House voted Wednesday to allow people under 21 to buy rifles and long guns, but the bill must still pass the Senate before it becomes law.
The Republican-led chamber passed the bill (HB 759) in a 78-34 vote, despite emotional opposition from lawmakers who argued the measure would break a promise made to the families of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain, as similar repeal efforts in 2023 and 2024 failed to gain traction in the upper chamber.
The current law, enacted in 2018 after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz used a semiautomatic rifle to kill 17 students and faculty members in Parkland, raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21. Then-Gov. Rick Scott signed the legislation, which was part of a broader school safety package passed in response to the massacre.
Democrats fiercely opposed the repeal, with Rep. Robin Bartleman, D-Weston, urging lawmakers to "honor the promise" made to Parkland families. Rep. Dan Daley, D-Coral Springs, a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, said revisiting the law reopens wounds for survivors and victims' loved ones.
“Every single time we do this, members, it reopens wounds you can’t even imagine,” Daley said.
Supporters of the repeal argued that 18-year-olds can vote, serve on juries, and join the military, so they should also be able to purchase firearms. Rep. Judson Sapp, R-Green Cove Springs, called the bill a matter of “consistency.”
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, framed the measure as a matter of self-defense, particularly for young single mothers.
“This bill is about the right to defend yourself, the right to keep and bear arms,” Salzman said.
Opponents pointed to a recent federal appeals court ruling upholding Florida’s age restriction. Earlier this month, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-4 in favor of maintaining the law, rejecting an NRA-backed challenge that claimed it violated the Second Amendment.
Research on young adult brain development and their involvement in gun-related violence was also cited by those against the repeal.
“The science and the facts don’t lie on this issue,” Daley said.
Wednesday’s vote largely followed party lines, though one Democrat, Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee, supported the repeal. Six Republicans—Reps. Hillary Cassel, Anne Gerwig, Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Chip LaMarca, Vicki Lopez, and Susan Valdes—broke ranks to vote against it.
While federal law already prohibits people under 21 from purchasing handguns, Florida’s 2018 law remains one of the few state-level restrictions on long-gun purchases for younger buyers. The law does not prevent those under 21 from receiving firearms as gifts from family members.
With the bill now in the hands of the Senate, its prospects remain unclear as lawmakers continue to weigh the balance between gun rights and public safety.
