Dan Daley, Joe Casello bill would set standard for in-vehicle gun storage

South Florida lawmakers are pushing legislation to ensure that if a Floridian keeps a gun in their car while away from the vehicle, it must be out of sight and securely stored.

It’s a minimum standard not currently in state statutes. Democratic Reps. Dan Daley of Coral Springs and Joe Casello of Boynton Beach aim to change that.

“According to crime data from the FBI, a gun is stolen from a vehicle every 15 minutes,” Daley said in a statement. “Gun owners who do not safely secure and store their firearms are simply more likely to have a firearm stolen.”

Casello said the measure (HB 1087) represents “a practical step” toward personal responsibility.

“It’s about ensuring that firearms are securely stored in vehicles,” he said, “balancing personal rights with community safety.”

If passed, HB 1087 would mandate that guns left in unoccupied cars must be kept “from ordinary observation” and be locked in the trunk, a utility or glove box, or a locked container “securely affixed to the motor vehicle or vessel.”

Violations would be categorized as second-degree misdemeanors, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and $500 in fines.

The bill, which has support from the Florida chapter of national gun safety advocacy group Moms Demand Action, a subsidiary of the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, would go into effect upon becoming law.

“When guns aren’t properly stored, tragedy can strike — whether it’s a child finding a firearm and injuring or killing themselves, or someone stealing it and using it to commit a crime. Secure gun storage in cars can prevent both,” Katie Hathaway, a Moms Demand Action volunteer, said in a statement.

“Policymakers and local leaders have a responsibility to build public awareness and implement laws for secure storage in cars, especially at a time when gun thefts from cars are at an all-time high, and carry the additional risk of fueling future violence.”

Daley and Casello filed HB 1087 on Jan. 2. One day later, Boynton Beach Democratic Sen. Lori Berman filed virtually identical legislation (SB 1250) with co-sponsorship support from Orlando Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart.

There is also HB 419 by Gainesville Democratic Rep. Yvonne Hinson, which in addition to creating the same safe storage restrictions for guns in cars and associated penalties would require all police agencies in Florida to run promotional campaigns informing Floridians of the change.

Hinson’s bill, if approved, would go into effect July 1.