The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday about a proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent the possession of certain assault-style weapons in Florida. The Supreme Court reviews wording of proposed amendments to determine if they meet legal requirements.
Supporters of the proposal want to prohibit possession of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once. There would be an exception for people who own the guns at the time the measure would take effect. Those people would be able to keep assault weapons if they register the guns with the state.
Opponents of the proposed amendment include the National Rifle Association, whose attorney George Levesque told the Court that the measure takes away the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens, "They are significantly rolling back a right, and they are obligated to let the voters know that this is something they are taking away from them."
Jon Mills represents the group Ban Assault Weapons Now, which is pushing the proposed amendment.
“There is no Constitutional right to a semiautomatic long gun that can hold more than ten rounds. I don’t find that anywhere in the Constitution. This is very specific about what it does. It deals with prohibiting the possession of the most lethal weapons.”
Backers of the assault-weapons proposal did not submit enough petition signatures to get on the 2020 ballot but could try to go before voters in 2022.