Florida lawmakers considering bill to crack down on teens getting their hands on guns and their parents

Gun theft bill targets parents

FOX 13's Briona Arradondo reports on Florida’s legislature taking up House Bill 15, which is aimed to crack down on teens and teens' parents who access guns by breaking into unlocked cars.

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida’s youth continue to get their hands on guns by breaking into unlocked cars, and there’s newly proposed legislation to crack down not only on those teens but also their parents.

"We see it happen every single week. Unfortunately, we’re in juvenile detention hearings every single day, even on holidays," said Freddy Barton, the executive director of Safe and Sound Hillsborough.

Barton said he’s looking forward to seeing how far House Bill 15 will go in Tallahassee to crack down on the problem.

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"Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Plant City Police Department, Temple Terrace Police Department, all of our law enforcement partners do a great job of providing gun locks and gun safes, but that’s not enough," said Barton.

HB 15 hopes to step up on that front. State Representative Yvonne Hinson, D-District 21, which includes parts of Alachua and parts of Marion County, said her bill focuses on securely storing guns in cars, on boats or motorcycles and the consequences for parents with teens who steal guns from cars.

"Those are going to be the sanctions. It's not a punishment per se. It's an education tool, so parents understand their role, their responsibility as it pertains to a juvenile," said Hinson.

The proposed sanctions could include parent education classes, community service projects or family counseling. State Representative Christine Hunschofsky is another lawmaker behind the bill.

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"The goal here isn't to punish as much to educate and make sure that parents know what their kids are doing, that kids aren't getting themselves into trouble they shouldn't be getting themselves into," said Hunschofsky, D-Broward County.

Hinson said she’s introduced a version of the bill two other times in the last three years, and she hopes this time it gains traction.

"We know that even law enforcement is now supporting this bill, as they did last year, because young people with guns or now are firing back at them," said Hinson.

Rep. Hinson said previous versions of the bill over the years had consequences for gun owners or a parental penalty. But, she said those did not get support, so Hinson introduced the version that’s up for consideration now.

The bill would also require law enforcement to do promotional campaigns to educate the public and gun owners about responsibility. Florida’s 2025 regular legislative session convenes on March 4.

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