GOP lawmakers propose banning AI gun detection

There’s a growing market for harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and report guns, and local governments in Florida are quickly hiring companies that offer this technology.

Not so fast, said Republican state lawmakers Blaise Ingoglia and Monique Miller.

The two just filed twin bills (SB 562, HB 491) to ban the use of AI for firearm detection in most public spaces. Violators would face first-degree misdemeanor charges, punishable by up to a year in jail and $1,000 in fines.

School campuses and other places where concealed weapons are prohibited — such as police stations, prisons, courthouses, city halls, polling sites, and airports — would be exempt.

Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Senator and stalwart ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, called the use of AI for gun detection “nothing but a technological infringement upon both our 2nd and 4th Amendment rights.”

The 2nd Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” The 4th Amendment generally safeguards people from unreasonable government searches and seizures.

“Advances in technology should never lead to the erosion of our right to protect oneself and one’s property,” Ingoglia said. “This groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind bill will lead the charge in protecting these rights for all Floridians.”

Companies like Actuate, Coram, Omnilert and ZeroEyes offer real-time firearm detection services by overlaying existing security cameras with AI that can flag, analyze and confirm suspicious footage. Others like IntelliSee monitor for guns and other safety-related events.

Sarasota County Public Schools contracted with Omnilert in 2024 after a year-long pilot program at a local high school. Last month, Daytona Beach officials approved a similar arrangement with ZeroEyes for some of its major thoroughfares.

Miller, a Palm Bay Representative and self-described “staunch gun rights advocate,” said she is “honored” to work with Ingoglia “on this landmark piece of legislation so that Floridians can truly remain free.”

“We should not allow local governments to infringe upon either our right to carry a firearm or our 4th Amendment right to not be illegally searched just because the advent of artificial intelligence makes it possible,” she said in a statement.

It should be noted that, according to the companies that offer it, AI gun detection software cannot detect concealed weapons. That means someone must draw a gun from a concealed holster, carrying case or other means of concealment and brandish the weapon to trigger an alert.

Florida has permitless carry, not open carry, allowing gun owners to keep their firearms in plain view, often in exterior holsters. Miller hopes to change that through pending legislation, but based on comments Senate President Ben Albritton made in November, it’s an unlikely proposition.

So, for now, it’s generally unlawful to exhibit a firearm in public, where the companies offer their services, except for self-defense purposes. At this point, most law-abiding gun owners would welcome a subsequent police response.

Interestingly, the penalty for that restriction is the same as the one Ingoglia and Miller hope to levy on those now using AI to catch people who violate it.

If approved, SB 562 or HB 491 would go into effect Oct. 1. Both measures were introduced Monday and have not yet been referred to Committees.