Rep. Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island) has filed legislation in the House to lower the minimum legal age for Floridians to purchase a firearm of any kind in the state from 21 back down to 18 years old.
The bill, HB 133, would amend Florida law to lower the minimum age at which a person can legally buy a gun from a licensed dealer and get rid of a ban against licensed firearm importers, manufacturers, or dealers selling or transferring a gun to anyone below the age of 21.
HB 133 does not change a violation of the current age requirement, which is a third-degree felony. However, the bill definitively repeals a current exception that allows law enforcement or correctional officers younger than 21 to buy a rifle or shotgun.
Florida raised its minimum age for purchasing a firearm to 21 from 18 in direct response to the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, which killed 17 people.
The murderer, at the time, was 19 years old.
Passed in the Florida Legislature, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was signed into law by former Gov. Rick Scott (R) less than a month after the mass shooting.
The bill also extended Florida's three-day waiting period for all firearms and banned the use of bump stocks, a rifle accessory designed to increase the rate of fire.
This is Rep. Sirois's second attempt in as many years to repeal the state's minimum age requirement. Co-sponsored by Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-Escambia County), HB 759 passed in the House but failed to receive a vote in the Senate.
A Senate version of HB 133 has not been filed. If passed, HB 133 would take effect on July 1, 2026.
The 2026 legislative session starts on Jan. 13.
Editor's note: The Floridian has reached out to Rep. Sirois for comment on HB 133 and will update this story if one becomes available
