Florida Republicans are pushing to repeal the state’s red flag law and the law that raised the minimum purchase age for a rifle to 21.
According to the Associated Press, State Rep. Joel Rudman (R) is pushing the repeal of the red flag law and State Sen. Randy Fine (R) seeks to eliminate the law barring 18- to 20-year-olds from purchasing rifles.
Rudman said, “I look forward to our state once again earning the title of the Gunshine State, where citizens are no longer asked to trade God-given freedoms for a politician’s empty promise of security.”
Florida’s red flag law and heightened minimum purchase age were passed hurriedly, following the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting. They were signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott (R) in March 2018.
On January 24, 2019, Breitbart News reported that the red flag law and the heightened minimum purchase age failed to prevent a mass shooting at a bank in Sebring, Florida. Despite the gun controls, 21-year-old Zephen Xaver attacked innocents in the bank. The New York Times reported that he opened fire then called the police and said, “I have shot five people.”
California, has a red flag law and more additional gun controls than any state in Union. Nevertheless, California led the nation in “active shooter incidents” in 2021 and 2023.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
