Former Progressive Lawmaker Questions Move to Loosen Restrictions on 'Weapons of War' in Florida

Former State Representative and State Senate candidate Carlos Guillermo Smith (D-FL) shared his frustration with a recent gun bill that was filed in the state’s upper chamber that loosens restrictions on "weapons of war."

According to Smith, the bill HB 1124 – filed by State Senator Jonathan Martin (R-FL) – relaxes existing gun legislation by changing the broad term of “firearm” to “handgun” and eliminates the three-day waiting period to buy an AR-15.

“A Florida GOP Senator just filed HB 1124 completely eliminating our 3-day waiting period to buy AR-15s. Loosening access to the same weapons of war used to kill 49 people at Pulse nightclub + 17 people in Parkland is as dangerous as it is disgraceful. Have we learned nothing?” said Smith.

 

One of the changes that HB 1124 provides is the “Mandatory 3-day waiting period, excluding weekends and legal holidays, is imposed between the purchase and delivery at retail of a handgun.” The original text said that the bill applied to all “firearms.”

Smith acknowledged the change in the bill from firearm to handgun appears seven times in the text.

The former state representative lost a narrow race to now-State Representative Susan Plasencia (R-FL) by about 2,000 votes and nearly four percentage points in District 37. When Smith became a state legislator he represented District 49, but had to run for District 37 in 2022 after the map in Florida was redrawn.

Smith won by huge margins in each of his three general elections for District 49 (2016, 2018, 2020), but each year his support dipped from 39 points to 29 points, and finally 24 points, respectively.

In April, U.S. Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL) commented on Smith's campaign, calling him a dedicated servant to Florida who should be elected to the state Senate.

"Electing people who actually give a damn about us is a priority for me. Especially in states, like Florida, where fascist right wing leaders are working tirelessly to rip away our rights," Frost expressed on social media. "We are going to be endorsing and supporting non-traditional, progressive candidates across the state," Frost vowed, noting that "in the Florida House, Carlos told truth to power and never held back when it came down to fighting for working people."

Currently, Smith’s possible primary opponent(s) and possible general election opponents are unknown.