Sarasota Democrats to Florida House: Protect Kids, Not Guns

Sarasota County Democratic Party

March 30, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Less than one week after Parkland, Florida, school shooting survivor David Hogg spoke eloquently about gun violence at the Sarasota County Democratic Party's Kennedy-King Dinner, the Florida House of Representatives has voted to reduce the age for purchases of rifles and shotguns from 21 to 18.  The bill, if approved by the Florida Senate, would take Florida backwards from the progress made by Mr. Hogg and others in preventing school shootings and other gun violence deaths. 

 “For years I have asked for any smart legislation that would protect students from the #1 killer of children -- gun violence,” said Sarasota County School Board Member Tom Edwards. “Florida HB 759 is going in the opposite direction in protecting students, teachers, and the community at large. I cannot be more baffled by this legislative misstep."

In the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass High School in 2018, grassroots efforts by Mr. Hogg and others succeeded in pushing through landmark legislation raising the legal age for purchasing firearms in Florida to 21. The concurrent passage of a red flag law gave law enforcement the power to remove firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.  Measures to roll back the legal age for firearms purchases to 18 have been proposed in previous legislative sessions, but so far none has been enacted. 

“The Sarasota County Democratic Party stands firmly behind Member Edwards in opposing any efforts to make firearm purchases easier for young persons,” said David Dean, SCDP Chair.  “While similar proposals in the Florida Senate have yet to see any movement, we cannot assume that this will continue, with the super-majority of Republicans in the Florida Legislature in even tighter lockstep with the current extremist administration in Washington.  We must stand up and speak out for common-sense laws that have been shown to reduce deaths from gun violence."

For media inquiries, please contact:David Dean, Chair, Sarasota County Democratic Party(941) 587-6658 headquarters@sarasotadems.org or deandp240@gmail.com