Florida Gov. Rick Scott announces support for raising age to buy firearms to 21


Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) announced Friday that the age to buy firearms in the Sunshine State will be raised to 21. The minimum age was previously 18.
Scott said active and reserve military members as well as law enforcement officers will be granted an exemption from the new rules. His remarks came during a press conference where he also proposed various other reforms to prevent mass shootings like the one that happened last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
ABC News reports that Scott also wants to put law enforcement officers in every Florida public school, ban the sale and purchase of modified bump stocks that allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster, and implement a "Violent Threat Restraining Order," which would legally "prohibit a violent or mentally ill person from purchasing or possessing a firearm."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Scott declared: "Keeping guns away from dangerous people and people with mental issues is what we need to do." Kelly O'Meara Morales
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - deportation, Canadian politeness, and more
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read