The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a lawsuit on Friday against Florida lawmakers' approval of broader gun-control and school security measures, Vox News reported. According to the lawsuit filed by the gun association, the new legislation goes against the Second and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal protection, and the Second Amendment gives people right to bear arms.
NRA responds to new gun restrictions in Florida
On Friday, Governor Rick Scott signed a new state law that raised the age for purchasing firearms to 21 and allows the arming of trained school workers.
Florida lawmakers passed the bill following the recent Parkland shooting that claimed the lives of 17 students and staff. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz legally purchased the gun he allegedly used to kill the students and educators. Just moments after signing the bill, NRA responded by filing the lawsuit against the state lawmakers.
In his statement, Chris Cox, Chief lobbyist of the NRA, stated that the bill particularly violates women under the age of 21 who are less likely to engage in violent crime. According to a report by the Huffington Post, 80 percent of all people killed by intimate partners in the US are women; 53 percent of these deaths are due to fatal gunshots. Cox is optimistic that the court will ban the new law as it disrupts the constitution.
The new law
The Florida bill raises the legal age limit for purchasing guns from 18 to 21. The bill also includes a three day waiting period for most firearms. It also gives the police the power to seize guns from any individual deemed dangerous to themselves and others. Though the bill does not include a ban on assault weapons, it restricts the use and selling of bump stocks in the region.
In his remarks on Friday, Gov. Rick Scott said the bill is a step forward in making sure every student in Florida has a safe learning environment and reassures all parents sending their kids to school that they will return home safely. The governor publicly supported the bill but was mainly concerned with the act of arming teachers.
After signing the new law, Scott said that as much as he does not support arming educators, the bill offers local districts together with their respective police departments the chance to decide whether or not to follow through with the act.
A student from Parkland was quoted as saying she does not understand how people to fight a law that protects children and the whole community. However, the NRA maintains that the law should be banned, giving individuals under the age of 21 a right to bear arms.
