Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Broward gun laws languish
It could become harder to buy weapons at a gun show
It could become harder to buy a gun at a gun show in Broward County.
Some county leaders want to tighten regulations that have allowed people to buy guns without background checks or waiting periods.
Twenty years ago, Broward County implemented background checks and a fiveday waiting period for people to buy guns, but the regulations haven’t been enforced at gun shows because of a state law that kept the power to make gun laws out of city and county hands.
Under the law, local officials could be removed from office, fined or sued if they moved ahead with their own gun regulations. A Florida judge paved the way for change in July. He ruled portions of the state law unconstitutional, overturning the stiff penalties and also giving counties a way to implement background checks and waiting periods that were allowed under the state Constitution.
Now Broward Commissioner Steve Geller wants to the County Attorney’s Office to begin crafting new county regulations
while the Leon County ruling is appealed. Geller will seek support from other commissioners at a meeting Aug. 20.
The discussion comes in a county that, like the nation as a whole, finds itself divided over gun control. Particularly after the mass killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, gun opponents have demanded tougher regulations. But gun shows like one last weekend in Pembroke Pines draw thousands of supporters, a sign that opposition to firearms is far from universal.
Khaled Akkawi, who operates the show in Pembroke Pines, said he has already instituted safeguards like background checks and waiting periods. But even if commissioners agree with Geller on a countywide law, change won’t come quickly.
Geller said he would not have the commission vote on any new rules until the court case works its way through appeals, which could take a year or more.
“I just want it ready to go, so on the day the court upholds the order, we then have an ordinance that we can adopt specifically on enforcing the waiting period,” Geller said.
Commissioner Lamar Fisher supports the proposal. “There’s nothing like being prepared,” Fisher said. “If we can be prepared in anticipation of the win, we can move quicker with the implementation of the ordinance.”
But Commissioner Nan Rich, a strong advocate for increased gun regulations, said it might make more sense for the county to wait.
“If we start, it might undermine our case on appeal,” Rich said.
If upheld, the ruling by Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson would give the county the tools it needs to enforce the waiting period.
Dodson said counties can require documentation that shows when a gun was purchased and when ownership was transferred, along with requiring records that show a criminal history background check was done.