Florida’s Democratic State Representative Margaret Good, has filed House Bill 135 – An Act Relating to Transfers of Firearms. It is your typical UBC bill in which is outlaws all private transfers of firearms between two parties and requires that the seller and buyer use a federally licensed dealer as the middle man so a background check can be conducted. Shooters under 18 can’t be in possession of a firearm unless they are under direct supervision of the owner and the owner is 21 or older. Currently, if a child was 16 but below 18, they could legally possess a firearm in the residence with parent approval. And of course the only other uncontrolled legal transfer between two adults over the age of 21 is when a firearm is loaned “solely for the purpose of shooting at targets, if the loan occurs on the premises of a sport shooting range, and the firearm is at all times kept within the premises of the sport shooting range.â€
Sounds great right? Well, it doesn’t and it goes a step further than the usual California pattern of UBC bills.
This piles onto the intrusion brought to Floridians under the gun controlled passed by soon to be former Governor Rick Scott, anyone under the age of 21 cannot legally purchase a firearm through a dealer or private sale. But they can be legally gifted a firearm from their parents. So little Johnny or Susan going off to college can still legally have a long gun for sport or self defense so long as if it was a gift from their parent or guardian.
Well, HB135 makes it to where a background check must be conducted for all firearm temporarily transfers outside of a shooting range or hunting event. So if little Johnny or Susan want to get that shotgun that Papa left for them when they turned 18. No go since the transfer has to go through a dealer and that dealer cannot release a firearm to someone under the age of 21.
Additionally, the bill has exemptions to the requirement and like usual, law enforcement and the government are excluded. Also Section H states the following:
An adult family member of the lawful owner of the firearm if the owner resides with the family member but is not currently present in the residence, provided that the family member does not maintain control over the firearm for more than 14 consecutive days.
What exactly does that mean? It means that if you have to travel somewhere and want to store your firearms, you can only do it with an adult family member and it can’t be any longer than 14 days. So if you have a military deployment to the Middle for six months? Or maybe you have a job that is taking you to New York for a year and your guns are verboten there? Can’t store them at your family’s place for more than 14 days and you definitely can’t store it at a trusted friend’s place period.
Why?
Because “Adult family member†means an individual’s spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, niece, nephew, first cousin, aunt, or uncle who is over 21 years of age.
So what are the chances of this bill moving through? Well, Senate President Bill Galvano (R) took $200k from Bloomberg and authored last session’s glorious gun control bill would support such a bill and so would Jose Olivia (R), the current House Speaker who not only voted in favor of the SB7026 when it passed back on March 7, 2018. He gave it a standing ovation.
Rep. Oliva highlighted in red clapping when SB7026 passed.
So the chances are pretty damn good this bill would be steered by the House Speaker into a favorable committee or two and passed with turncoat supporters siding with Democrats. I’d except the Senate to do the same. The question comes would incoming Governor DeSantis veto the bill and would the legislature have majority to override the veto. Scary that a Republican controlled legislature is viewed in this light.
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