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Florida Lawmakers Pass Bill Lowering Legal Age to Buy Rifles and Shotguns from 21 to 18
Florida lawmakers are once again moving forward with a proposal to lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and shotguns, advancing a bill that would roll back gun restrictions put in place after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The Florida House Judiciary Committee voted 13-7 on Tuesday to approve House Bill 133, sending the measure to the full House when the 2026 legislative session begins in January. The vote largely followed party lines, with Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Hollywood, joining Democrats in opposition.
HB 133 would lower the minimum age to purchase long guns from 21 to 18. Florida raised the age limit in 2018 after a 19-year-old gunman legally purchased an AR-15-style rifle and killed 17 students and staff members at the Parkland school.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Brevard County, and supporters argue the law unfairly restricts the rights of law-abiding young adults. Gun rights advocates testified that 18- to 20-year-olds can already possess and carry firearms in Florida but are prohibited from purchasing them directly.
“Right now in Florida, 18- to 20-year-olds can legally carry a firearm, but they cannot legally purchase one,” said Jed Carroll of Gun Owners of America during the hearing.
Opponents of the measure, including students, parents, and public safety advocates, urged lawmakers to keep the age restriction in place. Many referenced the Parkland shooting and cited concerns about gun violence among teens.
“Eighteen-year-olds in the military are not just handed a weapon and released into the public,” said Marialana Kinter, a Navy veteran from Orlando. “In the military, nobody touches a weapon without extensive training.”
Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie, the top Democrat on the committee, said he does not expect the bill to survive the legislative process, even if it passes the House.
Similar measures have passed the House in each of the past three years but failed to gain traction in the Senate. As of this week, no companion bill has been filed in the Senate, which has proven to be a recurring obstacle.
Even if approved, the legislation would not override federal law, which still prohibits individuals under 21 from purchasing handguns from licensed dealers. However, it would allow private sales of pistols to buyers under 21.
The bill now awaits a vote by the full House when lawmakers reconvene in January.
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