I've previously covered some of the gun legislation submitted in Florida. Well, the legislative session is now in full swing and here's the current list of what's been submitted. It appears that the gun grabbing authoritarians are going hog wild and throwing everything to the wall and seeing what sticks. With anti-gun Senate President Bill Galvano (R) and House Speaker Jose Oliva (R), I doubt for sure any pro gun bill will make it to Governor DeSantis' desk.
As for the anti-gun legislation; who knows? Either the Republican Party of Florida grows a backbone and keeps Galvano and Oliva under some control or other Republican lawmakers vote these bills down in committee. But the massive imbalance between Pro 2nd Amendment legislation and Anti 2nd Amendment legislation shows you where both sides stand on the entire debate of gun rights. Where is the Open Carry or Constitutional Carry bill? Where is the flood of Pro 2nd Amendment Legislation in a Republican Supermajority State?
Anti 2nd Amendment Legislation
SPB 7044: OGSR/Concealed Carry License/Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
This bill would repeal the privacy requirements for CCW information and make all CCW permit holders public information. Right now, CCW information is exempt from public records requests. In the past, when it was public, anti-gun publications would publish the name and address of every CCW permit holder in newspapers. With online media today, think what they can do now.
SB 922: Discharging Firearms in Public or on Residential Property
This bill makes it to where only a person with five acres or more can have a private range. Right now I know a few folks that border public land and they have less than a five acre plot but a professional berm/backstop. This would make it illegal for them to continue shooting.
SB 752: Concealed Weapons and Firearms
This bill would make it illegal for a licensed permit holder to conceal carry at a daycare. So if you're a parent picking up your kid, you can't carry.
SB 654: Transfers of Firearms
This bill would make private transfers and private sales of firearms illegal in Florida. All transfers, whether a sale or not would have to go through a FFL.
SB 500: Gun Safety
This bill is an Assault Weapons and Magazine Ban. If the gun is a semi automatic long gun and can take more than five rounds. It is verboten. Makes registration mandatory within a certain time frame. If not registered, the gun is illegal. Transfer or inheritance is prohibited.
SB 468: Firearms
This bill creates the mandate for Universal Background Checks and goes hand in hand with SB 654.
SB 470: Fees
This bill allows FFLs to raise fees to as they see fit for the mandated transfer due to the outlawing of private sales and enforcement of Universal Background Checks.
SB 466: Assault Weapons and Large-capacity Magazines
This bill is just like SB 500. It is an Assault Weapons and Magazine Ban that targets semi automatic long guns and pistols along with their magazines. Makes registration mandatory within a certain time frame. If not registered, the gun is illegal. Transfer or inheritance is prohibited.
SB 364: Prohibited Places for Weapons and Firearms
This bill makes conceal carrying a firearm in a movie theater, performing arts center, or legitimate theater illegal.
SB 108: Regulation of Concealed Weapons Licenses
This bill transfers Florida's CCW program from its current location in the FL Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Right now, Nikki Fried (D) is the Commissioner over CCWs and she'd love for it to be moved to FDLE. Why? Because FDLE has a history of being anti-gun.
Pro 2nd Amendment Legislation
SB 598: Firearms
This bill would allow CCW license holders to carry at religious institution during religious services or religious institution events when the property also contains a school.
Anti 2nd Amendment Legislation
HB 753: Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms
This bill would reduce the number of years a Florida CCW license is active. Currently it is seven years that a CCW license active, This would reduce it to four years. Additionally, this would remove the provisions that allow applicants to present evidence of equivalent experience with a firearm through participation in organized shooting competition or military service to meet requirements for training to be issued a license. Also this would remove the ability for people to qualify and prove firearms proficiency at a gun show since they would have to follow the state's law enforcement qualification standards which requires shooting at distances up to fifteen yards.
Basically this destroys the ability to attend a gun show and get the required instruction to qualify for a CCW license.
HB 709: Discharging Firearms in Public or on Residential Property
This bill is identical to and copies SB 922.
HB 683: Prohibited Places For Weapons and Firearms
This bill is identical to and copies SB 364.
HB 135: Transfer of Firearms
This bill is similar to SB 654 and mandates that all sales and transfers go through a FFL.
HB 197: Concealed Weapons and Firearms
This bill is identical to SB 752. The bill that bans carrying at a child care facility.
HB 455: Assault Weapons and Large-Capacity Magazines
Another Assault Weapons and Magazine Ban bill, this is similar to SB 466 and SB 500.
Pro 2nd Amendment Legislation
HB 175: Firearms
This bill repeals the majority of what was passed last year; including the Red Flag Laws, Under 21 Long Gun Purchase Restriction, and Bump Stock Ban.
HB 6007: Licenses to Carry Concealed Weapons or Firearms
This bill allows campus carry on college or university campuses. It does not make open carry legal. It simply states that if open carry is made legal in the state, Floridians would be able to exercise that option, too.
HB 6005: Possession of Firearms on School Property
This bill cleans up current language somewhat. It appears to apply strictly to students and not staff. Thus allowing the “secure guns in employee parking lot†aspect of the law for permit-holding employees to legally keep a firearm in their vehicle on campus. Right now a number of universities and colleges bar employees from keeping firearms in their vehicles.
HB 581: Exceptions to Requirements for the Purchase and Sale of Firearms
This bill grants law enforcement the same exemption from the state required waiting period that CCW license holders currently have and it expands the exemption to cover CCW license holders from specified county mandated waiting periods.
HB 553: Pub. Rec./Personal Identifying Information of Assault Weapon or Large-Capacity Magazine Possession Certificateholder
This bill states that if any Assault Weapons or Magazine Ban is passed and registration is required; that the information is exempt from public records request and it cannot be released.
Now of course, there's also the Anti-Gun Constitutional Amendment sponsored by Ban Assault Weapons NOW! and Americans for Gun Safety NOW! that the grabbers are pushing for too. So it appears that the gun grabbing authoritarians are lining up their ducks in a row through every means possible here in the formerly known Gunshine State of Florida.
