Using last week’s Ft. Lauderdale airport shooting as his “news hook,” Democrat Florida state Sen. Gary Farmer said Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation banning firearm sales at gun shows without a background check, the Orlando Sentinel reports, while other Democrats prepare additional anti-gun bills, including a ban on so-called “assault weapons” and a bill allowing Florida cities to pass anti-gun ordinances of their own. (The alleged Ft. Lauderdale shooter reportedly had passed a background check and psych evaluation.)
Republican alternatives proposed in Tallahassee include one that would end so-called “gun-free zones” in Florida and another that would honor Right-to-Carry permits in places like airport terminals.
Farmer has also co-sponsored two bills imposing “safe storage” mandates on firearm owners. “If Sen. Farmer really wanted to do something to make Florida safe, he would focus on abolishing gun-free zones where law-abiding citizens are defenseless targets of terrorists and people with mental illness,” said Marion Hammer, executive director of United Sportsmen of Florida and former NRA president.
