Florida Lawmakers Want To End 3-Day Waiting Periods For Rifles, Shotguns

[TrappedinCalifornia]

Florida lawmakers want to end 3-day waiting periods for rifles, shotguns (That's the Yahoo version, here's the original.)

A Southwest Florida state senator wants to eliminate a statewide three-day waiting period to buy a rifle or a shotgun, undoing one of the changes enacted after the Parkland mass shooting.

State Sen. Jonathan Martin's bill would keep the waiting period in place for handgun purchases while ending it for other firearms.

The Fort Myers Republican's proposal (SB 1124) has alarmed gun control advocates who fear it will make it easier for unstable people to quickly access weapons, including the AR-15 rifle used in some of the nation?s deadliest mass shootings...

Under existing law, the mandatory waiting period to buy a gun is either three days, excluding weekends and holidays, or the time it takes to complete the required criminal background check - whichever occurs later.

Another bill (HB 17) filed by state Rep. Joel Rudman, R-Navarre, would reverse that to "whichever occurs earlier," allowing buyers to get a gun as soon as the background check is completed.

Under existing law. the mandatory waiting period doesn?t apply to holders of concealed weapons permits...

Lawmakers start their next 60-day session on Jan. 9.

[AlmostHeaven]

Gun control advocates apparently believe that if a person intent on committing a mass shooting needs to wait 3 days instead of 0 to acquire a weapon, the targeted location, such as a school, will somehow vanish into the ether in the meantime.

Civilian disarmament opponents are either dumb fellow travelers or evil authoritarians.

[TrappedinCalifornia]

Gun control advocates apparently believe that if a person intent on committing a mass shooting needs to wait 3 days instead of 0 to acquire a weapon, the targeted location, such as a school, will somehow vanish into the ether in the meantime.

Civilian disarmament opponents are either dumb fellow travelers or evil authoritarians.

They refer to it as a 'cooling off' period. Their theory is that it gives someone who is emotionally worked up an opportunity to simmer down. My problem with that is, if the individual is worked up enough to truly commit mass murder, no amount of time is going to negate that. On the other hand, if they are just peeved 'in the moment,' even the half hour it takes to complete the transaction and clear the background check should be sufficient to 'calm' a reasonable individual enough to stop whatever they had been thinking of doing. (It used to take 20 - 30 minutes to walk in, say "That one," pay for it, complete the 4473, and 'usually' clear the instant background check so you could walk out the door with the firearm in hand. I don't know what it takes now. I said 'usually' as it, occasionally, took longer, up to 3 days.)

That's the real problem with these waiting/cooling off periods. If the person is 'reasonable,' then they typically don't need such a period of time. If the person is 'unreasonable,' then no amount of time is going to dissuade them. As a result, all it, in effect, turns out to be is yet another 'harassment' of the reasonable and legal individuals.

[Dan_Eastvale]

I would have thought Florida would allow parking lot PPTs.

[rromeo]

I would have thought Florida would allow parking lot PPTs.

They do. The 3 day wait is for FFLs.

[AlmostHeaven]

They refer to it as a 'cooling off' period. Their theory is that it gives someone who is emotionally worked up an opportunity to simmer down. My problem with that is, if the individual is worked up enough to truly commit mass murder, no amount of time is going to negate that. On the other hand, if they are just peeved 'in the moment,' even the half hour it takes to complete the transaction and clear the background check should be sufficient to 'calm' a reasonable individual enough to stop whatever they had been thinking of doing. (It used to take 20 - 30 minutes to walk in, say "That one," pay for it, complete the 4473, and 'usually' clear the instant background check so you could walk out the door with the firearm in hand. I don't know what it takes now. I said 'usually' as it, occasionally, took longer, up to 3 days.)

That's the real problem with these waiting/cooling off periods. If the person is 'reasonable,' then they typically don't need such a period of time. If the person is 'unreasonable,' then no amount of time is going to dissuade them. As a result, all it, in effect, turns out to be is yet another 'harassment' of the reasonable and legal individuals.

Almost all gun control laws came into existence by some ivory tower elite, who has never touched a real firearm in his/her life, dreaming up policies in a stuffy office.

[Silence Dogood]

The “cooling off” justification for waiting periods on firearm purchases always seemed disingenuous to me because if that was really it, they would apply to first time buyers only.

[BAJ475]

The ?cooling off? justification for waiting periods on firearm purchases always seemed disingenuous to me because if that was really it, they would apply to first time buyers only.

There you go again, applying logic.

[Dan_Eastvale]

If the FL Legislature want to end the three day wait, what's stopping them? Certainly not DeSantis.

[AlmostHeaven]

The "cooling off" justification for waiting periods on firearm purchases always seemed disingenuous to me because if that was really it, they would apply to first time buyers only.

Indeed, all waiting periods violate the Second Amendment, but as applied to people who already own firearms, the policy serves as nothing other than deliberate government encumbrance of gun culture. Many Americans live significant distances away from their preferred FFL dealers. Mandatory waiting periods force onerous doublings of travel times, fuel consumptions, and work disruptions.

If the FL Legislature want to end the three day wait, what's stopping them? Certainly not DeSantis.

Anti-gun Republicans in the Florida Legislature exist in a sufficient quantity to keep open carry outright prohibited. The same individuals, along with the entire Democratic Party, stand in the way of repealing the waiting period and red-flag law. Primary challenges ought to occur.

[Dan_Eastvale]

^ "Anti-gun Republicans in the Florida Legislature exist in a sufficient quantity to keep open carry outright prohibited"


So Florida's Red State status is "in name only" ??

[AlmostHeaven]

^ "Anti-gun Republicans in the Florida Legislature exist in a sufficient quantity to keep open carry outright prohibited"


So Florida's Red State status is "in name only" ??

Not quite. Recall that the Florida Legislature enacted permitless concealed carry, so I would say that the state has "light-red" characteristics. Not having the numbers to repeal all existing gun control laws does not automatically render a state effectively liberal.

[dogrunner]

Florida's issues primarily stem from it's southernmost counties.............all heavily populated by NY/NJ transplants...............you know, the place where Janet Reno lived, and she was the author of our current oc ban....the rest of the crap hailed from the same region!

A.H. has it right, but what needs to occur now is for some hard charger to push the issues. The NRA is of little help.........talk a good game but that's where it generally ends (I'm a life member by the way) GOA is the current thorn in the liberal legislators side tho and they are pushing issues the NRA has remained quiet on for years..............I'd go with A.H,s call of a light red......red as hell to about I-4 and fading to pinkish as you head further south.......(further south you go, further north you are)!!

[AlmostHeaven]

Florida's issues primarily stem from it's southernmost counties.............all heavily populated by NY/NJ transplants...............you know, the place where Janet Reno lived, and she was the author of our current oc ban....the rest of the crap hailed from the same region!

A.H. has it right, but what needs to occur now is for some hard charger to push the issues. The NRA is of little help.........talk a good game but that's where it generally ends (I'm a life member by the way) GOA is the current thorn in the liberal legislators side tho and they are pushing issues the NRA has remained quiet on for years..............I'd go with A.H,s call of a light red......red as hell to about I-4 and fading to pinkish as you head further south.......(further south you go, further north you are)!!

I am glad to have a Florida resident confirm. I have never lived in the state, but from my understanding, Florida consists of a mostly red state attached to a purple region in the south.