After consulting with the families of Parkland victims, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed new gun restrictions in response to last month’s massacre that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Scott, a Republican who has long enjoyed the political support of the National Rifle Association, approved a three-day waiting period for the purchase of all firearms and raising the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 — changes the NRA opposes.
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The bill (SB 7026) bans the sale of bump stocks in Florida and allows police to ask judges to seize weapons from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.
The legislation barely cleared the Senate on a 20-18 vote and passed the House 67-50, as 19 Republicans abandoned their party’s leaders.
It was the first time that so many GOP lawmakers broke ranks with Speaker Richard Corcoran, in a clear sign of the divisive nature of guns as a political issue.
Scott signed the bill despite his opposition to creation of a program that allows school personnel to carry concealed weapons on campus.
Family members of all 17 Parkland victims signed a statement supporting passage of the legislation.
Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald.
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