{"id":718,"date":"2017-05-04T19:24:32","date_gmt":"2017-05-04T19:24:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fiolinjurylaw.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T18:23:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:23:08","slug":"access-to-firearms-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Access to Firearms in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mass shootings throughout the United States have created a great deal of scrutiny of gun laws at both federal and state levels. Florida, which has had several shooting incidents in its history, including the tragic Parkland school shooting that ended in 17 deaths, has some of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/florida-said-have-some-weakest-gun-laws-nation-n848216\">least restrictive gun laws<\/a> in America.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/#What_Restrictions_Does_Florida_Have_on_Gun_Purchases\" >What Restrictions Does Florida Have on Gun Purchases?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/#Gun_Ownership_and_Mental_Illness\" >Gun Ownership and Mental Illness<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/#Buying_in_Bulk_and_Assault_Weapons\" >Buying in Bulk and Assault Weapons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/#Are_these_regulations_enough\" >Are these regulations enough?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Restrictions_Does_Florida_Have_on_Gun_Purchases\"><\/span>What Restrictions Does Florida Have on Gun Purchases?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leg.state.fl.us\/statutes\/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&amp;URL=0700-0799\/0790\/0790ContentsIndex.html\">Florida laws may be lax<\/a>, but there are some regulations in place that do put restrictions on gun purchases. Anyone who wishes to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer must pass a background check. If the person has a conviction for a felony or a misdemeanor related to domestic violence, he or she will not be able to purchase a gun legally. The buyer must be 18 years of age to purchase a rifle and 21 to purchase a handgun. There is a three-day waiting period between purchase and delivery on any handgun sales and it is also illegal to carry a concealed rifle or shotgun.<\/p>\n<p>These laws do put some restrictions on gun purchases, but they are also lacking in many ways. For example, hitting a red flag on a background check may initially prevent a purchase, but the person may still be able to buy a gun if he or she passes further evaluation. Additionally, background checks are only necessary for those purchasing a gun from licensed dealers; there is no requirement to check the background of people involved in private sales.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gun_Ownership_and_Mental_Illness\"><\/span>Gun Ownership and Mental Illness<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Florida\u2019s legal restrictions do not fully cover people with mental issues that might affect their ability to reasonably handle a gun. A court must find the person \u201cmentally defective\u201d for there to be such a restriction. Anyone who has a mental illness that would make him or her unable to safely handle a gun can still purchase a gun if there is no judicial ruling on the person\u2019s mental health.<\/p>\n<p>State law does not require anyone to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/02\/15\/us\/florida-gun-laws-trnd\/index.html\">have a permit or license to purchase a gun<\/a>. Once a purchase is complete, gun owners are not required to register the weapon. Gun owners must have a permit for concealed carry of a handgun, but such a registry isn\u2019t publicly available. Any attempt to create a database of gun owners is considered a third-degree felony under Florida law, punishable by a $5 million fine.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buying_in_Bulk_and_Assault_Weapons\"><\/span>Buying in Bulk and Assault Weapons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Florida law is also lacking when it comes to restricting how many guns an individual or organization can purchase at one time. Unlike other states, in Florida it is legal to buy guns in bulk with no additional restrictions or reporting requirements.<\/p>\n<p>While there are laws about the purchase of rifles and shotguns, Florida has no specific laws relating to assault weapons, such as those most often used in mass shootings. And unlike the delay on handguns, someone purchasing an assault rifle does not need to wait three days after the purchase to receive the gun. Florida law also lacks restrictions on magazine size.<\/p>\n<p>These regulations place very few limits on the types and quantities of guns people can purchase. Even people who may not be able to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer can still do so via a private sale without any of the same regulations. And because there\u2019s no legal record of registered gun owners, it\u2019s very easy for guns to fall into the hands of people who may not wield them responsibly.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_these_regulations_enough\"><\/span>Are these regulations enough?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to bear arms, but tragedies like the Parkland shooting suggest that Florida gun laws may need some adjustment to prevent dangerous firearms from falling into the hands of people who want to cause harm to others. How such changes will play out will depend on both state and federal legislation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mass shootings throughout the United States have created a great deal of scrutiny of gun laws at both federal and state levels. Florida, which has had several shooting incidents in its history, including the tragic Parkland school shooting that ended in 17 deaths, has some of the least restrictive gun laws in America. What Restrictions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Access to Firearms in Florida<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore Florida\u2019s gun laws, purchase restrictions, background checks, and limits on firearm access plus how current regulations affect ownership and safety.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Access to Firearms in Florida\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore Florida\u2019s gun laws, purchase restrictions, background checks, and limits on firearm access plus how current regulations affect ownership and safety.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.fiolinjurylaw.com\/en\/blog\/access-to-firearms-in-florida\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Fiol &amp; 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