Florida senator pushes to lower age for gun purchases seven years after Parkland shooting
Florida senator pushes to lower age for gun purchases seven years after Parkland shooting
FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
PARKLAND, Fla. - Valentine's Day in Parkland is more somber than most. Seven years ago, 17 students and staff members were murdered, and 17 others were injured when a former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School opened fire.
The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, is now serving life in prison for the deadly school shooting.
RELATED: Florida lawmakers file bills to undo gun reforms passed after Parkland shooting
The backstory:
After that day in 2018, a movement grew to pass a number of reforms. Florida legislators in Tallahassee did so, on everything from mental health to school security measures.
Lawmakers sent numerous reforms to the governor's desk, including money for officers at every school, allowing some teachers to carry guns and the establishment of threat assessment teams.
Big picture view:
But now, there is a push to reverse one of the reforms made in the arena of gun safety. The state created Red Flag laws, banned bump stocks and raised the age of purchasing a gun from 18 to 21 years old.
Sen. Randy Fine of Brevard County wants to roll the age back to 18.
"The problem is not guns," Fine said during an interview on Friday. "The problem is what's going on in people's brains, and that is what we have to deal with."
Dig deeper:
It's not clear how much momentum that idea has, even in the state legislature that often passes legislation that errs on the side of gun rights groups. A similar proposal failed last year.
Florida's Senate President Ben Albritton toured the building the Parkland shooting happened in, before it was torn down. He seems skeptical, and said in December he will side with the wishes of law enforcement.
PREVIOUS: Site of deadly mass shooting in Parkland demolished
"In this process, you have to choose who you are going to trust," he said. "I trust them."
What they're saying:
The family members of the Parkland school shooting victims spent the day thinking not about the legislative process, but rather what was stolen from them.
"I heard this morning, 'love conquers hate.' said Mitchell Dworet, the father of Nicholas Dworet who died in the mass shooting. "That's what we have to think about. The love. We can't carry the anger."
Fine said the rest of the bill works as intended. He pointed to the fact that there have not been any major incidents at schools since the reforms went into effect.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from state lawmakers and a parent of a Parkland school shooting victim.
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