Florida Sen. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach, has filed a bill that would lower the minimum age to buy a rifle from a licensed dealer in Florida from 21 to 18.
The measure -- Senate Bill 94 -- would repeal a provision of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act passed in 2018 that increased the minimum age to 21.
"When you turn 18, you are eligible to enlist in our nation's finest fighting forces and are entrusted with a rifle to defend our country," Fine said in a statement explaining his proposal. "I believe that, if you can use a rifle to protect our nation, you should also be able to purchase one."
Fine said that, after the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act passed, "I committed to addressing the inconsistency that allows an 18-year-old to be given a firearm by a parent or purchase one in a private transaction, but not from a licensed firearms dealer. Before I leave the Senate, I want to get that done."
Fine is resigning from the Senate, effective March 31, as he seeks a seat in Congress in an April 1 special election to fill a vacancy.
The Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School Safety Act was approved by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Scott following the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Seventeen people died in that shooting -- 14 students and three staff members -- and another 17 people were injured.
The shooter was a 19-year-old who legally purchased a AR-15-type rifle a year earlier.
The law made the sale of a rifle or shotgun by a licensed dealer to a person under 21 is a third-degree felony. There are exemptions if the buyer is a law enforcement officer, a corrections officer or a member of the military.
Fine's bill would not affect the nationwide minimum age of 21, under federal law, related to the sale of a handgun by a licensed dealer.
Last year, a Florida House bill similar to Fine's was sponsored by Florida Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, It was approved in the House by a 76-35 vote. Fine -- then a member of the Florida House -- was a cosponsor of Sirois' bill, House Bill 1223. But there was no companion bill that year in the Florida Senate for Sirois' bill.
Representatives of gun-rights organizations spoke during House committee hearings in favor of Sirois' bill, while representatives of gun-control organizations spoke in opposition.
According to a Florida House Judiciary Committee analysis of Sirois' bill, under Florida law, it is not a crime for a private party to sell or transfer a firearm to a person who is 18 years of age or older, but less than 21 years of age.
Also, a minor under age 18 cannot possess a firearm, except for those at least 16 years old engaged in hunting, a marksmanship competition or another lawful recreational shooting activity, with adult supervision.
Most states have a minimum age of 18 for the purchase of long guns.
According to the 2023 Florida House Judiciary Committee analysis, Florida is one of eight states with a minimum age of 21 to purchase a long gun. The others are California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Rhode Island and Vermont.
In addition, three states have a 21 age minimum specifically for semiautomatic rifles -- Connecticut, New York and Washington.
Sirois said he plans to continue to work on the firearms issue in the 2025 Florida Legislature session, and expects a House bill will be filed as a companion to Fine's Senate bill.
This is the second high-profile piece of legislation Fine introduced this week. On Monday, Fine filed a bill that would repeal a 2014 state law offering in-state college tuition discounts to Florida residents who are undocumented immigrants.
On Nov. 26, Fine announced that he would be resigning from the Florida Senate, so he could run for Congress in U.S. House District 6, seeking to succeed Michael Waltz, who was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to be the next national security adviser.
That special election for U.S. House District 6 will be held April 1, and Fine's required resignation so he can run will take effect March 31. District 6 is a six-county district in the Daytona Beach area, and does not include Brevard County. Trump has endorsed Fine in this race, and Fine -- a resident of Melbourne Beach -- does not have to live in the congressional district to run for the seat.
Fine will be running against two other Republicans in a Jan. 28 primary for the congressional seat. If Fine wins the primary, he will face the winner of a three-candidate Democratic primary, as well as a Libertarian candidate, a no-party-affiliation candidate and a write-in candidate in the special general election on April 1.