{"id":97311,"date":"2018-09-12T11:51:18","date_gmt":"2018-09-12T15:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=97311"},"modified":"2018-09-12T11:51:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:48:54","slug":"assault-weapon-ban-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/assault-weapon-ban-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Assault Weapon’ Ban in Florida… Anti-Gun Groups Join Forces to Put it on the Ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Two groups in Florida believe voters will back a constitutional amendment banning “assault weapons.” (Photo: Ban Assault Weapons Now Facebook<\/em>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Two Florida-based anti-gun groups have joined forces to put a constitutional amendment on the state\u2019s 2020 general election ballot to ban \u201cassault weapons” in the Gunshine State.<\/p>\n

The organizations \u2013 Americans for Gun Safety Now (AFGSN) and Ban Assault Weapons Now (BAWN) \u2013 must gather 766,200 petition signatures from registered Florida voters to place the amendment on Florida\u2019s 2020 ballot. Once on the ballot, a Florida constitutional amendment must gain 60 percent of the vote to become law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe assault rifle, and its ability to fire approximately one hundred rounds a minute, can be purchased legally with no proof of training, no background check, and no regulations what so ever,\u201d said Gail Schwartz, BAWNs chair, and the aunt of Alex Schachter who was killed at Parkland. \u201cOur goal is to take military-style firearms off the shelves thus saving the lives of innocent people.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s unclear how many signatures the groups can garner in the next two years. Neither have large followings on social media nor high-profile members in leadership positions. Florida has also been a historically pro-gun state, boasting some of the most relaxed gun laws in the country.<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:\u00a0Ask an Attorney: Prosecutor, Defense Attorney Discuss Controversial Florida Parking Lot Shooting<\/a><\/h2>\n

Still, the Florida legislature passed a hastily written<\/a> package of gun control laws in the wake of the Parkland massacre, and the state\u2019s law enforcement agencies haven\u2019t been shy about using the new \u201cred flag\u201d law to confiscate firearms<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Parkland massacre has also prompted corporations<\/a> and banks<\/a> to support anti-gun policies, and these same big-money organizations could choose to throw their weight behind initiatives like this one. Signatures can be bought, and ballot initiatives often depend on which side spends the most money on advertising.<\/p>\n

The agenda of these organizations extends far beyond an \u201cassault weapon,\u201d of course. Americans for Gun Safety Now! lists six policies it hopes to push at the national level:<\/p>\n