Florida minors who post social media photos that include guns could face legal consequences if a new bill passes the state’s legislature.
The new bill, SB 1310, was introduced by Democrat state senator Jason W. B. Pizzo, and imposes legal consequences for both minors and their parents over social media photos containing any kind of gun, according to the National Review.
Those under 18 who post photos of any “firearm, a BB gun, an air or a gas-operated gun, or a device displayed to resemble a firearm to a social media page, post, profile, or account that is openly viewable to the public” would be committing a first-degree misdemeanor, which can be punished by up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine.
The bill also specifies that “Any firearm that is possessed or used by a minor in violation of this section shall be promptly seized by a law enforcement officer and disposed of,” according to Media Research Center.
The verbiage of the proposed bill reads:
(2)(a) Any parent or guardian of a minor, or other adult responsible for the welfare of a minor, if the minor possesses a firearm in violation of this section, may, if the court finds it appropriate, be required to participate in classes on parent education which are approved by the Department of Juvenile Justice, upon the first conviction of the minor. Upon any subsequent conviction of the minor, the court may, if the court finds it appropriate, require the parent to attend further parent education classes or render community service hours together with the child.
Those who oppose the bill say it is totally unconstitutional and would punish kids and parents for expressing their First and/or Second Amendment rights.
Florida Bill Would Jail Minors for Posting Pictures of Guns https://t.co/oPfWUR261Y via @KatTimpf pic.twitter.com/Nn3moaOwBS
— National Review (@NRO) March 17, 2019
If this law were to pass, this would add to the most recent changes in Florida’s gun laws that followed the Feb. 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
These changes in gun laws have included banning bump stocks, raising the age to purchase all guns from 18 to 21, imposing a three-day waiting period on all gun purchases, creates a new Office of Safe Schools, and enforces risk protection orders (“red flag” laws) that allow law enforcement to take away a person’s guns if they are believed to be a threat to themselves or others, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
State legislators attempted to pass a bill to arm teachers in Florida schools, but it was unsuccessful. While most Florida voters agree they want stricter gun laws, most do not approve of them in schools, the Sun Sentinel reported.
