Florida state lawmakers are moving to advance a bill that would require residents to pass a background check just to purchase ammunition.
The bill, known locally as “Jaime’s Law,” was filed for review by state legislators in early October. The legislation is named after one of the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, which prompted discussions on gun control throughout the country.
17 students were shot during the massacre. While the chilling attack took place, a Broward County school resource officer infamously refused to enter the school despite being armed.
The Sun Sentinel reports State Rep. Dan Daley and Sen. Lauren Book made the case for the legislation on Monday.
“If someone walks into a bar and orders a beer, a bartender is required by law to ask for their ID. Why isn’t a vendor required by law to ensure that someone seeking to purchase ammunition is legally allowed to do so?” Rep. Daley said in a prepared statement.
A federal version of the bill is also being pushed on the national level. Florida’s U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz spoke in support of Jaime’s Law on the same day as Daley’s statement.
“Requiring background checks on ammunition sales would save lives, and would close the loophole of individuals who are already prohibited from buying a firearm, to be able to purchase ammunition,” she said.
Both the Floridian and the Sun Sentinel concede that Jaime’s Law faces an uphill battle in the state’s legislature, which has generally supported gun owners and the Second Amendment. Florida is by and large considered to be one of the more gun-friendly states in America.
At this point, we should note that while Florida already has stringent background check laws for firearms, red flag laws, and bans on individuals with a criminal history from purchasing guns, the Parkland school shooter was still able to cary out his wicked deed. We fail to see how applying the same logic to ammunition will be much different.
