Florida governor proposes new gun sale limits after school shooting

[rooster59]

Florida governor proposes new gun sale limits after school shooting

By Zachary Fagenson

 

FILE PHOTO: An aerial view shows Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School following a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, U.S., February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo

 

PARKLAND, Fla. (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott, a loyal ally of the U.S. gun lobby under mounting pressure to act in the aftermath of last week's deadly mass shooting, urged state lawmakers on Friday to tighten access to firearms for young people and the mentally disturbed.

 

Scott said he would work with the Republican-controlled legislature over the next two weeks to raise the minimum legal age for buying any gun in Florida from 18 to 21, with some exceptions for younger individuals serving in the military or law enforcement.

 

That proposal put the Republican governor at odds with the National Rifle Association (NRA), which has opposed higher age limits in Florida, where a person must be at least 21 to buy a handgun but can be as young as 18 to purchase an assault rifle.

 

But Scott, who has been endorsed by the NRA and received its highest rating for supporting the rights of gun owners, said he opposed an outright ban on assault rifles, as some gun control advocates have demanded.

 

He also backed adoption of a law, like those enacted in a handful of other states, allowing police and family members to obtain restraining orders to bar people suspected of posing a threat of violence from possessing guns.

 

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, who is leading the investigation of the Feb. 14 shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, welcomed Scott's plan as a "strong first step in giving us the proactive ability to keep Florida safer."

 

But critics of the plan, which closely mirrored proposed measures unveiled on Friday by leaders of the state legislature, said it failed to go far enough.

 

"He is doing the bare minimum," said U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat widely expected to face a re-election challenge this year from Scott.

 

Julie Kessel, president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, called Scott's proposals "very small, incremental changes."

 

The 17 people slain in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland were shot with a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault weapon, which authorities say was purchased legally last year by the accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, when he was 18 years of age.

 

Cruz, now 19, a former Stoneman Douglas student who authorities said had a history of run-ins with the law and was expelled from school for disciplinary problems, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Broward County Sheriff's Office have since acknowledged receiving several tips over the past two years from callers saying they had reason to believe Cruz was inclined to commit a school shooting.

 

In addition to age limits, Scott said he wanted to change state laws to make it "virtually impossible for anyone who has mental issues to use a gun," echoing similar calls by U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

The governor called in particular for a new programme allowing a family member, police officer or community welfare expert to seek a special court order barring the purchase or possession of a firearm by anyone shown to pose a safety threat due to mental illness or violent behaviour.

 

Scott also urged amending state law so that anyone involuntarily hospitalized as dangerously mentally ill be stripped of all access to firearms, with a court hearing required before their gun rights could be restored.

 

RENEWED FOCUS ON BACKGROUND CHECKS

 

Federal law bars possession of firearms by anyone found by a court or other legal authority to be a danger to themselves or others.

Convicted felons, fugitives and people with a record of drug addiction also are banned from owning guns.

 

But many states have been slow in furnishing mental health records to the FBI database used in flagging prospective buyers who are supposed to be prohibited from owning a weapon.

 

The governor's proposals come amid a reignited national debate on gun rights, led in part by some of the student survivors of last week's massacre, ranked as the second deadliest U.S. public school shooting on record.

 

Students and parents calling for tougher gun controls travelled earlier this week to meet with politicians in Tallahassee, the state capital, and with Trump at the White House.

 

Trump has suggested arming teachers as a way of curbing gun violence in schools, as advocated by the NRA. He has also called for raising the legal age for buying rifles nationally to 21, and for beefing up background checks on prospective gun buyers.

 

On Capitol Hill on Friday, a group of 18 House Republicans urged House Speaker Paul Ryan to schedule a vote on legislation strengthening background checks.

 

The legislation already passed the House in December. But it was coupled with a controversial measure aimed at significantly expanding permits for carrying concealed weapons.

 

The group of House Republicans urged Ryan to bring it to the House floor as a stand-alone bill so that it will have a greater chance of approval by the Senate and enactment into law.

 

Scott also called for posting law enforcement officers in every public school and for mandatory "active shooter training" for students and faculty.

 

He spoke as staff members were returning to Stoneman Douglas for the first time since the massacre.

 

"Everything was quiet, and looked like it was frozen in time," social studies teacher Greg Pittman said.

 

Outside the school, some teachers gazed at flowers and makeshift memorials. One woman who brought balloons to add to the displays fell to her knees in tears.

 

Classes are due to resume next Wednesday, but the building where most of the bloodshed occurred will remain closed.

 

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump criticized the armed sheriff's deputy assigned to the school for doing a "poor job." The deputy, Scot Peterson, resigned after an internal investigation found he failed to go inside and confront the shooter, the Broward sheriff said on Thursday.

 

"When it came time to get in there and do something, he didn't have the courage or something happened," Trump said.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-24

 

[blazes]

"virtually impossible for anyone who has mental issues to use a gun,"

 

I see half a dozen people every morning who, at first sight, seem to have "mental issues".

 

 

[Srikcir]

Republican Governor Scott is up for re-election in November.

Sixteen Republican state congressmen are also up for re-election in November.

I don't expect any legislation by his Republican majority state congress before then.

Not a good time to give up any NRA campaign contributions.

[halloween]

An american 18-21yo can drive, vote, be prosecuted as an adult, and sent o/s to kill the US's perceived enemies, but can't legally buy a beer, or a handgun in Florida, and now they want to take away their right to assault rifles. Where are the lawyers clamouring to protect their "rights"?

 

DT has a duty to protect american jobs by not restricting gun sales, One assumes the resulting death of citizens also make the unemployment figures look better.

Edited February 24, 2018 by halloween

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, halloween said:

or a handgun in Florida

But the age limit drops to 18 if the gun is being purchased from a private, unlicensed seller, which could be a neighbor or someone online, or at gun show. 

For long guns, which includes rifles like AR-15s and shotguns, the minimum age of purchase from a licensed dealer is 18 under the federal law. But there’s no minimum age to purchase a long gun or long gun ammunition from an unlicensed seller. 

http://thehill.com/homenews/politics-101/375154-what-are-the-current-age-restrictions-on-guns

 

[spidermike007]

He could be doing alot more. Any seen to be doing nothing is going to be scapegoated. So, deflectors like Tiny Don, and Scott, have to appear to be doing something. In reality, the insistence, by very powerful lobbyists that automatic rifles, and many types of assault rifles be made available to the American public, is definitely making America very, very unsafe. In addition so is the watered down version of background checks, that this terrorist organization known as the NRA supports. 

 

None of us have a problem with a law abiding, and sane individual being able to buy a handgun, or a rifle for hunting. But, 3% of the gun owners own 97% of the guns. The NRA makes this possible and is supporting terror in the process, by diluting the process and the laws. That is only part of the reason why they are such a despised and vilified organization. I realize they have 5 million members. But, they don't have another 325 million Americans as members. Their time has come. They are going to have to face greater and greater scrutiny, and hopefully a complete shutdown, at some point. They do not benefit the country. They are a very, very destructive force in American politics. And Trump is their whore.

 

It has become increasingly clear, that the NRA is a terrorist organization, plain and simple. By continuing with their policies, they essentially support the massacre of civilians, and will stop at nothing to continue their insane support for automatic rifles, the ownership of rifles by 18 year olds, and are resisting calls for deep background checks.

 

The NRA are perhaps the most corrosive and dangerous organization in America today. They need to be stopped. They need to be taken out. Period. End of story. The time has come. They have outlived their usefulness. They are a boil on the face of America. 

 

The best way for Americans, who profess patriotism to their nation, to express that so called loyalty, is to not vote for any politician who accepts even one dollar from this heinous organization. They are a mafia. I am fine with someone being able to purchase a hunting rifle, or a pistol for self defense. With a deep background check. Gun shows need to be stopped tomorrow. 97% of the guns in the US, that are owned by civilians, are owned by 3% of the population. That is the very definition of a broken nation.

 

And did anyone notice that Trump was visited by an NRA lobbyist the day after the shooting? Those fools should not be allowed within 10 miles of the very white house. Trump has sold his soul to the highest bidder. That much is clear to anyone with any vision or understanding. Drain the swamp? How about re-populate it with his own crocodiles. The master of BS continues his crusade of lies.

 

Edited February 26, 2018 by spidermike007