A controversial proposal to lower the minimum age to purchase rifles and long guns in Florida will not receive a vote in the Senate, effectively ending its path forward for this legislative session.
House Bill 759, which sought to roll back the purchasing age from 21 to 18, was passed by the Florida House last month in a 78-34 vote. However, Senate Rules Committee Chair Kathleen Passidomo confirmed this week that the bill will not be heard in the committee — a necessary step for it to reach the Senate floor.
“The decision not to take up the bill was made prior to Thursday’s tragedy,” Passidomo said, referencing the April 17 mass shooting at Florida State University that killed two and injured six. While she maintained that the timing was coincidental, the incident has intensified public scrutiny and opposition.
Among those who have reversed their stance is Peter Huynh, a Florida State University business marketing student who was previously undecided. “After what happened on my campus, I no longer support lowering the age,” Huynh said in a follow-up interview. “It’s no longer just a debate — it’s real life. This is about protecting students and making sure guns don’t get into the wrong hands.”
The bill was already seen as unlikely to survive the Senate after its companion legislation (SB 1716) stalled in committee without a hearing. But the FSU shooting appeared to solidify its demise. Democratic Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith pointed to the tragedy as further proof that the current age limit should remain in place. “After Thursday’s incident that took the lives of two people, I would expect that legislation is going to be rejected by the Florida Senate,” he said.
Gun control advocates have also ramped up pressure, citing public safety concerns and the original intent behind the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act — the very law HB 759 sought to reverse. The Act, passed after the 2018 Parkland shooting that killed 17, raised the minimum purchasing age to 21.
With the Senate effectively blocking the bill, Florida’s current law remains unchanged — but the debate is far from over. Lawmakers, students and advocacy groups say they will continue to engage in future legislative sessions, especially as gun violence remains a pressing issue in the state.