Dan Daley refiles Jaime’s Law to vet the sale and transfer of ammunition
Image via Coral Springs Talk.

Dan Daley
The bill would treat ammunition sales like gun sales, subjecting the buyer to a background check.

Rep. Dan Daley, a Coral Springs Democrat, is bringing back legislation aimed at keeping ammunition out of dangerous hands.

That measure (HB 25) is emerging months ahead of the 2021 Legislative Session. It expands provisions in state law requiring background checks for gun sales. Daley’s bill would also add those safeguards to ammunition sales.

The bill mirrors legislation Daley filed ahead of the 2020 Legislative Session.

Like the current law on background checks, law enforcement officers and those with concealed weapons permits would not face mandatory background checks for ammunition purchases.

Ammunition can be freely transferred at shooting ranges, or hunting and fishing sites, so long as “the transferor has no reason to believe that the transferee will use or intends to use the ammunition in a crime or that the transferee is prohibited from possessing ammunition under state or federal law.”

Essentially, the bill isn’t putting up additional roadblocks for those activities, so long as the transferor doesn’t know the person receiving the ammo is doing so in violation of the law.

Sen. Lauren Book, a Plantation Democrat, filed a companion bill alongside Daley before the last Session. So far, no Senate version has been filed, though there remains plenty of time for Book or another Senator to pick up that mantle. Senate bills have not been posted yet as leadership awaits final committee appointments.

The bill is named “Jaime’s Law” after Jaime Guttenberg, who was one of the 17 people killed during the 2018 attack on Stoneman Douglas High School.

Daley served on the Coral Springs City Commission before taking over the House District 97 seat. He replaced former Rep. Jared Moskowitz in 2019, though Daley wasn’t seated until after the 2019 Session.

Coral Springs neighbors Parkland and is home to several families affected by the 2018 shooting.

“As a graduate of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, nothing is more important to me than preventing another tragedy like what our community experienced from ever happening again,” Daley said Monday in a statement announcing the legislation.

“Jaime’s Law is a huge step in the right direction towards ensuring that weapons and ammunition stay out of dangerous hands. It’s also common sense and does not restrict the rights of legal gun owners. If someone walks into a bar and orders a beer, a bartender is required by law to ask for their ID. Why isn’t a vendor required by law to ensure that someone seeking to purchase ammunition is legally allowed to do so?”

Democrats made a push last Session to advance additional gun regulations. Calls for a Special Session in 2019 failed following a series of shootings in Texas and Ohio. Republicans blocked most of those proposals — including Daley’s — during the 2020 Session.

Fred Guttenberg, Jaime’s father, has worked as an advocate to expand gun regulation since the 2018 attack. He supports Daley’s efforts.

“With approximately 400,000,000 weapons already on the streets, we must make it harder for those who intend to kill to do so,” Guttenberg said.

“Prohibited purchasers of weapons are also prohibited from buying ammunition, but there is no mechanism in place to keep that ammunition out of their hands. We must close this ammunition loophole and this bill is a step in the right direction to do it. Jaime’s Law will help save lives immediately.”

Ryan Nicol

Ryan Nicol covers news out of South Florida for Florida Politics. Ryan is a native Floridian who attended undergrad at Nova Southeastern University before moving on to law school at Florida State. After graduating with a law degree he moved into the news industry, working in TV News as a writer and producer, along with some freelance writing work. If you'd like to contact him, send an email to [email protected].


5 comments

  • Craig

    December 3, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    Anyone with an ounce of common sense and intellectual integrity would know that this law would not have stopped the shooting at parkland because the shooter had no criminal record. Since he had no record he would pass this background check just like he passed the one to obtain his firearms. Also, having a prerequisite to exercise a right is unconstitutional (reading tests and iq tests for voting for example) and makes that right a privilege.

  • Rich7553

    December 5, 2020 at 5:58 pm

    “If someone walks into a bar and orders a beer, a bartender is required by law to ask for their ID. Why isn’t a vendor required by law to ensure that someone seeking to purchase ammunition is legally allowed to do so?”

    Because the keeping and bearing of arms is a fundamental enumerated right incorporated against the states under the 14th Amendment due process clause. Drinking is not a right at all. And you have a JD? Really?

  • Gary Monfred

    December 6, 2020 at 7:56 pm

    This proposed bill is ridiculous written by a representative that obviously doesn’t have a clue.

    ID is one thing, paying for background checks is another. Just another obstacle in the way of citizens exercising theie 2A right.

    Why don’t these morons start writing bills to limit 1st Amendment Rights?

    That’s what i thought.

  • Jack

    December 7, 2020 at 3:48 pm

    Socialist democrats are the enemy of the people of the United States.

  • Juanita Halter

    December 13, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    My son was murdered by a person that bought a stolen gun. He would not have passed a background check to buy ammunition or to have the gun that killed my son.
    There should be charges brought against legal gun owners that do not report stolen guns.
    I don’t understand why it is so hard to pass a law that may save a persons life.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704