GOP-controlled House passes measure to shorten wait period on some gun background checks
Potential buyers try out guns which are displayed on an exhibitor's table during the Nation's Gun Show on Nov. 18, 2016 at Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. | Alex Wong, Getty Images
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The Florida House on Monday approved a bill (HB 17) that would shorten the mandatory waiting period to purchase a firearm from a licensed seller. However, the Senate hasn’t pushed the issue, and it’s likely that the legislation will not pass.
A memorial at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, following the mass shooting on February 14, 2018, in Parkland. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Nevertheless, the GOP-controlled House voted to repeal a portion of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act on Monday. That was the gun safety law passed in the wake of the shooting massacre that killed 17 students and staff at the high school in Parkland, in Broward County.
The 2018 law prohibits a licensed dealer from transferring a firearm to a purchaser unless the purchaser successfully completes a background check, regardless of the length of time required to complete the background check.
But the House bill voting on Monday says that if a background check does not come back before three days, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) must issue a conditional approval authorizing the purchaser to take delivery of that gun. If the FDLE subsequently determines that a purchaser is not authorized to possess a firearm, they are then required to notify the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and a local law enforcement agency, who are responsible for retrieving the firearm.
“I have heard of many occasions where people have not been able to get access to their firearms because their background checks were taking days, weeks and even months long, so this bill is definitely necessary,” said Escambia County Republican Michelle Salzman.
However, the FDLE has said that 98% of all background checks are resolved within minutes of being received.
Democrats consider the proposal dangerous.
“The three-day waiting period was part of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Safety Act,” said Broward County Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky. “And it said that there would be a mandatory three-day waiting period or having completed the background check process, whichever comes later. Because the idea of giving someone a firearm when the background check process hasn’t been completed, is honestly kind of reckless.”
Susan Gill, a member of the Tallahassee chapter of the Moms Demand Action wasn’t sure why the House was even hearing the bill on Monday, given that the Senate hasn’t pursued the issue.
“I’m guessing they’re trying to pander to certain constituents, somewhere,” she said. “We’re just glad that the Senate has more sense.”
Republican Rep. Joel Rudman is the sponsor of the bill and represents parts of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties. During his comments on the House floor, he begged the Senate to find a way to introduce the Senate version of the bill so both chambers could approve the final legislation.
“This isn’t a gun bill. This is a freedom bill,” he said. “A right delayed is a right denied.”
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