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State Sen. Audrey Gibson, a Democrat from Jacksonville, has drawn the ire of gun rights groups after introducing a bill that would require anyone who wishes to buy ammunition in Florida to complete an anger management class. The bill would also require a three-day waiting period for the sale of all firearms, not just handguns.
Her bill, SB 1229, would require anyone purchasing ammunition to present a certificate stating they’ve completed an anger management course. Bullet buyers would have to retake the class once every ten years. Failing to do so would constitute a second-degree misdemeanor.
“It’s about getting people to think, really, about how much ammunition they need,” Gibson told Fox News. “It’s a step, I think, in a safer direction. It’s about getting people to think before they buy.”
“When I first saw it, I thought it had to be a joke,” Sean Caranna, executive director of Florida Carry, shot back. “They’re trying to say that anyone who owns a gun or shoots a gun or has ammunition for it needs counseling and obviously has some anger problems.”
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Of course, its unlikely to pass in Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature.
The bill is just one of several introduced by Florida Democrats concerning firearms this session. Bills requiring that only licensed gun dealers sell firearms at gun shows, several bills looking to give local government more control over gun laws, and a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines have also been introduced.
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