Florida Democrats Ramp Up Anti-Gun Legislation

As mass shootings continue to occur at a seemingly alarming rate in the United States, State and NationalDemocrats have kept with their message of banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.  However, because they control both chambers of Congress and the White House, Democrats appear better position, as a new anti-gun bill (s) is now gaining massive traction among top Florida Democrats.

27 Democrats in the Florida House of Representatives have already signed on to cosponsor the most recent anti-gun legislation passed through HB 653,  which would impose an all-out ban on large-capacity assault weapons.  The Democratic bill will also implement the prohibition of selling, transferring, or possessing these "high capacity" weapons.  However, those with a certain certificate of possession of a certain date will be allowed to lawfully possess these weapons with provisions on sales.

State Rep. Carlos G. Smith (D-49), a prominent Democrat who recently landed himself in hot water for his remarks on Socialism, saying the social and political ideology hasn't killed anyone, is now championing the anti-gun legislation in honor of those who have tragically lost their lives in mass shootings.

Smith tweets an opinion article, regarding the 3-year-old Marjorie Stoneman Douglas  High School shooting to support his stance on the issue, which claims that "Florida needs to ban assault weapons, even if Congress won't," adding that "120,000 of us have been killed by gun violence, including 1,300 mass shootings" upon waiting for new gun reforms.

The resolution although controversial itself is only a backdrop to an even larger debate on guns as national Democrats such as Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) have backed gun and ammunition regulations.

We even saw President Joe Biden (D) make recent commentary on this new wave of mass shootings, calling them a "national embarrassment."

While the legislation does seem threatening to gun-owning Floridians, Democrats still face a GOP majority in both legislative chambers and virtually no chance of getting a signature from Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL).

If passed, HB 653 would become law on October 1, 2021.