PARKLAND, Fla. – The seventh anniversary of the massacre that killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland comes with concerns.
Grieving parents who channeled their grief through activism to prevent another tragedy have been tracking a new Florida bill.
It aims to roll back the law requiring a buyer to be 21 years old or older to purchase a firearm.
“It’s very difficult to hear this. It’s very painful,” said Lori Alhadeff, a Broward County School Board member and activist who was mourning the loss of her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa.
Then Gov. Rick Scott signed a law increasing the age requirement from 18 to 21. It had bipartisan support then, but Florida Senate Bill 94 aims to undo that.
Moti Adika, a longtime gun shop owner and former NRA instructor, refused to sell the MSD shooter a weapon. He supports the age restrictions.
“Walked in here when he turned 19 trying to buy an AR-15. I wished him a Happy Birthday, go get a parent I will sell them the gun,” Adika said.
The shooter never returned.
“I really hope the legislators think of the consequences,” Alhadeff said.
The general bill by Florida Sen. Randy Fine, whose district office is in Melbourne, was filed Dec. 10 and referred to the appropriations committee on Jan. 15.
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