NRA sues Florida over new gun law, ‘bill punishes law-abiding gun owners’
The National Rifle Association is suing the state of Florida after Gov. Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 7026 into law Friday, gun control legislation enacted in the state after the Parkland school massacre on February 14.
The NRA suit focuses on the part of the law that raises the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 from 18.
“This bill punishes law-abiding gun owners for the criminal acts of a deranged individual,” said Chris W. Cox, executive director, National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action.
“Securing our schools and protecting the constitutional rights of Americans are not mutually exclusive.”
Seventeen people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when Nikolas Cruz terrorized the school.
“Instead of looking to the root cause of this premeditated violence, the gun control provisions in this law wrongly blame millions of Floridians who safely and responsibly exercise their right to self-defense.”
The National Rifle Association stated in a press that the gun ownership group “has always supported measures to increase school security, fix our broken mental health system and keep firearms out of the hands of those with a dangerous mental illness. However, several provisions contained in SB 7026 will do nothing to increase public safety and will only impact law-abiding citizens. Preventing a responsible 20-year-old from purchasing the best tool for self-defense will not stop a deranged criminal intent on committing a crime. Imposing a 3-day wait period on rifle and shotgun purchases would not have stopped any of the high-profile mass shootings in recent years.”
“The deranged murderer in Parkland, Florida gave repeated warning signs that were ignored by federal and state officials. If we want to prevent future atrocities, we must look for solutions that keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or others, while protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans.”
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is named as a defendant, said she was proud of the law.
“This bill is not perfect, and sadly it will not bring back the 17 lives lost in the horrific school shooting, but the safety of our children is not a political issue, it’s simply the right thing to do,” she said.
Bondi also lauded the students of Stoneman Douglas, many of whom have called for tougher gun laws.
[…] and passed a gun measure, amending a few Florida gun laws, but now faces a pushback from the NRA and gun owners. What is in that law (and what is not) – read […]