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In Post-Parkland Florida, Lawmakers File Dozens of Gun Bills

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Elderberry:
U.S. News By BRENDAN FARRINGTON 3/1/2019

Lawmakers quickly passed new gun restrictions last year in the wake of the Parkland high school shootings that left 17 dead, but the debate about guns is far from over as the Legislature begins its 60-day session on Tuesday.

In the weeks leading up to the session, about 50-gun related bills were filed: from a Republican-sponsored repeal of gun restrictions enacted after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre to a Democrat-sponsored bills to ban assault rifles.

But the GOP-controlled Legislature is unlikely to embrace extremes on either side of the gun issue; changes to the state's gun laws will likely be somewhere in between. Republican Rep. Mike Hill understands the atmosphere, which is why he pulled his bill to repeal provisions of the last year's school safety act that raised the minimum age to buy a rifle to 21 and created a waiting period to purchase the weapons.

"It became obvious to me that the tragedy of that shooting was a wound that is still too raw to try to pull that Band-Aid off of at this time. The bill wasn't getting traction," Hill said.

"I am always going to be a staunch supporter of our Second Amendment rights, and there could be a time in the future when my bill, or something similar too it, can be reintroduced."

One bill that is moving forward is an expansion of a new law that allows some teachers to carry guns in schools if they go through training with their local sheriff's department and pass background and psychological tests. The bill would allow all teachers to be eligible for the program. Current law only makes teachers with roles outside the classroom eligible, such as a teacher who is also an athletic coach or oversees a drama club.

Still, Democrats aren't giving up on new gun restrictions. Most, or all, are unlikely to pass. While the Republican-dominated Legislature made rare concessions last year after the Parkland shootings, most are sticking to the pro-gun rights agenda for which the party is known.

Democratic Rep. Richard Stark realizes new restrictions like the assault rifle ban will be a tough sell.

"I don't think that has a chance of going anywhere," Stark said. "The gun lobby is just too strong on that."

More: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/florida/articles/2019-03-01/in-post-parkland-florida-lawmakers-file-dozens-of-gun-bills

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