SB 920: Mathematics Education
SB 920 would change Florida’s firearm purchase and transfer laws in two main ways. First, it lowers the minimum age for purchasing a firearm from 21 to 18 and correspondingly prohibits licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers from selling or transferring firearms to persons under 18 rather than under 21. The bill also repeals an existing exception tied to that age restriction for certain law enforcement, correctional officers, and servicemembers, as reflected in the amended statutory language.
Second, the bill revises Florida’s mandatory waiting-period law for rifle and shotgun purchases. Under current law, the waiting period can be waived after completion of a 16-hour hunter safety course and possession of a hunter safety certification card, or for certain exempt persons with a valid Florida hunting license. SB 920 narrows that exception so that the waiting period is waived only when the purchaser successfully completes the hunter safety requirements and has the certification card, while preserving the exemption for persons who are exempt from the course and hold a valid Florida hunting license. The bill would take effect July 1, 2025.
If enacted, SB 920 would amend sections 790.065 and 790.0655 of the Florida Statutes, changing the age-based eligibility rules for firearm purchases and the scope of the waiting-period exception for rifles and shotguns. It would affect licensed firearm dealers, manufacturers, and importers, as well as younger adult purchasers, law enforcement and military personnel referenced in the statute, and hunters seeking to use the waiting-period exemption. The bill would also alter the criminal penalties tied to unlawful sales or transfers to underage purchasers, since those prohibitions are enforced as third-degree felonies.
The available record shows no committee transcripts or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or negotiated amendments in the materials provided. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears to reflect a policy shift toward expanding access to firearms for 18- to 20-year-olds while also tightening the conditions under which the rifle-and-shotgun waiting period may be avoided. The bill ultimately died in the Appropriations Committee on Pre-K - 12 Education, indicating it did not advance to enactment.
The likely points of contention are the age threshold for firearm purchases and the treatment of exceptions for certain categories of purchasers. Supporters would likely view the bill as restoring firearm access for legal adults aged 18 to 20 and preserving hunting-related exemptions, while opponents would likely argue that lowering the age increases public-safety risks and weakens existing youth-access restrictions. The repeal of the current exception for law enforcement, correctional officers, and servicemembers in the age restriction may also be a notable issue, depending on how the amended language is interpreted and applied.