Instead of Another Carveout, It’s Time for Florida Lawmakers to Simply Repeal This Gun Law

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has already come out in favor of repealing the “red flag” law adopted by lawmakers in the wake of the 2018 murders at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, but there’s another post-Parkland statute that also needs to be stripped from statute. Unfortunately, Republicans seems more inclined at the moment to merely water down the law instead of repealing it completely. 

The GOP-controlled legislature imposed a three-day waiting period on firearm transfers after the shootings in 2018, though lawmakers carved out an exception for residents with a valid concealed carry license. Now Rep. Jeff. Holcomb wants to create another exemption that would nullify the waiting period for thousands of Floridians.

“If you walk into a gun store to purchase a handgun upon passing the background check, you would then have to wait three days to walk home with a gun. Cooling off period they say,”  Holcomb said. “However, you can avoid the three-day wait if you have a concealed carry permit. The holder could receive the handgun that day after the completion of the background check.” 

… “What my bill allows is that if you are a law enforcement officer, corrections officer, correctional probation officer, or military service member, you can then have the same option as the concealed carry permit holder,” Holcomb added.

The representative called the bill a “no-brainer.” Rep. Tom Fabricio (R-Miami Lakes) also said the bill was “great”, noting police officers and first responders were vital to the community.

“All of these patriots, well-meaning law enforcement officers, corrections officers, correctional probation officers, military service members, receive more firearms training, more vetting, than a concealed carry permit holder in all honesty,” Holcomb continued.

With all due respect to Rep. Holcomb, the waiting period mandated by the legislature didn’t have anything to do with training standards and has little to do with increased vetting of prospective purchasers. Instead, waiting periods are billed by their supporters as a way to reduce impulsive acts with a firearm by mandating a “cooling off” period between the point of sale and the time of acquisition. 

Now, I agree that police officers, corrections workers, probation agents, active duty service members, and concealed carry licensees shouldn’t have to twiddle their thumbs for three days if they’ve already passed a background check. But why should any other individual who’s passed their NICS check have to cool their heels either? 

Holcomb’s bill is a common sense addition to an underlying law that makes no sense whatsoever. It stands to reason that if concealed carry holders are exempted from the waiting period, then those who typically carry a gun on the job should also be exempt. But the waiting period itself is the real issue here, not the list of who gets to ignore the law. The law isn’t just an imposition on law enforcement and active duty service members. It’s an imposition on everyone trying to purchase a firearm in a timely manner. 

At the moment, though, the GOP majority seems content to just apply more lipstick to this legislative pig. HB 383 was approved by the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee last week without a single dissenting vote, and it’s probably going to sail through the full Judiciary Committee in the days ahead. 

If Holcomb’s bill gets to DeSantis, I’m sure the governor will put pen to paper and sign HB 383 (or its Senate companion) into law. But the modest improvement it offers isn’t nearly enough. I sincerely hope the governor uses his political heft to repeal all of the knee-jerk anti-gun laws enshrined after the horrific murders at Parkland, not just the “red flag” law that’s rightfully drawn his ire. 

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