New Florida Senate Bill (SB 7028) Aiming At Public Safety And Gun Pruchases
Dear Friends & Neighbors,
firing gun/revolver (Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
revolver & bullets (Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
uniformed soldier with army weapon (Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
(Please click on red links & note magenta)
On Monday, February 10, 2020, a Florida Senate Committee voted in favor of SB 7028, with tougher background check and a three-day waiting period for firearms sold at flea market or gun shows when buying and selling from a private citizen. But person to person sales not at places such as gun shows, would operate on an honor system that would only be given a closer look if a crime is committed with the weapon involved in person to person transaction. The bill would also mandate that guns be securely stored in households and other places where minors under age 18 could have access to the weapons. It also created a new section of law that would require guns to be stored to prevent access “by a person of unsound mind.”
To read the complete text of SB 7028 Public Safety, please click HERE.
Senate Bill 7028, introduced by Senate President Bill Galvano, is trying to close a current loophole that does not require person to person sales to file any paperwork or background checks. It would create a record-keeping system for private gun sales and set aside $5 million to establish a “statewide strategy for violence prevention”. The bill passed a committee vote, but will need approval by the house and the senate before being able to land on Governor Ron DeSantis’ desk.
If you do not have federal firearm license and want to sell your gun to some one else privately, you’ll have to: 1. check the potential purchaser’s ID to confirm if he/she is at least 21 2. create record of sale 3. ask potential purchaser a set of 13 questions (including questions such as the criminal history and mental state, etc.). If you want to sell your gun in a public place (such as at a gun show), you will have to complete a background check and get confirmation from FDLE that it’s complete first.
DeSantis appeared skeptical of the proposal to close the gun-show “loophole” by requiring background checks and a three-day waiting period for firearms sold at gun shows, saying screenings are already being performed by “anyone selling firearms at any of those tables.”
Florida would require background checks before weapons could be sold at gun shows and would require that private gun transactions be documented under a bill unanimously approved by a Senate committee, in the video “Bill would require background checks at gun shows in Florida“, below:
President of Guns & Range Training Center, Alex Shkop, said, “So there’s a 4473 form which is a federal form that gets filled out either digitally or on paper. We’re required by law to use the form for all sales. We get penalized and we can be closed down by ATF if we don’t follow the rules. But as soon as you walk out of the store there’s no rules.” Shkop also commented, “I think it would be dangerous because people are simply just not trained enough to take on that responsibility so it opens up a big can of worms.”
Other requirements in the SB 7028, Public Safety include:
- Loaded firearms be securely stored to prevent any one under age 18 from accessing them
- Paramedics and other emergency medical workers are to report people who are a danger to themselves or to the public to police
- Assigning the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create a statewide threat assessment system to prevent active shooters
The debate regarding this bill is expected to begin on Tuesday, February 11, 2020 and no votes yet taken.
Perhaps an official agency for registration of firearms is needed in Florida in order to eliminate liability on the sellers of private person to person transactions. Keep in mind that Florida is one of only seven states (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont) that prohibit registration of some or all firearms? When we acquire our drivers’ license, we take our drivers’ license test and register at DMV, so why not have an equivalent of the DMV for basic gun safety test, background check, and gun registration?
So, Floridians, it is time for you to contact your state representatives and senators to express your views regarding this SB 7028.
To see the current status of SB 7028, please click HERE.
For Florida Senate contact information, please click HERE.
For Florida House of Representatives contact information, please click HERE.
Editorial remarks:
It appears that safety training needs to be addressed during the debate of SB 7028.
Perhaps person to person sellers outside of the gun shops may be incentivized to do background checks on purchasers if there would be serious fines placed on sellers if purchasers were later discovered to have criminal records or to be using the gun to commit crimes.
Perhaps an official agency for registration of firearms is needed in Florida in order to eliminate liability on the sellers of private person to person transactions. Keep in mind that Florida is one of only seven states (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont) that prohibit registration of some or all firearms? When we acquire our drivers’ license, we take our drivers’ license test and register at DMV, so why not have an equivalent of the DMV for basic gun safety test, background check, and gun registration?
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
We Need Fair Value of Solar
~Let’s Help One Another~
Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:
www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture
www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture
