Proposed amendment could give Floridians chance to vote on assault weapons | Thumb up
Two gun-control groups band together, announce plans to try and get constitutional amendment on 2020 ballot.
Proposed amendment could give Floridians chance to vote on assault weapons | Thumb up Two gun-control groups band together, announce plans to try and get constitutional amendment on 2020 ballot. Check out this story on tcpalm.com: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/09/13/floridians-could-vote-assault-weapons/1266949002/
Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board Published 10:54 a.m. ET Sept. 13, 2018
A Bushmaster AR-15-style rifle.(Photo: Reuters)
Do you think so-called "assault weapons" should be banned?
You just might get a chance to vote on it.
Two groups founded in the wake of the Parkland school shooting have joined forces in an attempt to outlaw the weapons. Americans for Gun Safety Now and Ban Assault Weapons Now want to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the Florida ballot in 2020.
MORE: Coalition aims to ban assault weapons by constitutional amendment
The latter group already announced its support for an amendment earlier this year; the former group, which counts U.S. Rep. Brian Mast among its supporters, called the new alliance "a critical step to protecting future generations of Floridians," according to a press release.
Floridians may or may not believe that a safer future requires a ban on assault rifles, but that would be the beauty of a proposed constitutional amendment: it would, in effect be a statewide referendum on the firearm.
One problem for organizers: They've adopted no formal definition of what an "assault weapon" is. Any semi-automatic rifle? Too expansive a definition is likely to lose votes; and remember, 60 percent of voters have to sign off on any constitutional amendment.
Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/editorials/2018/09/13/floridians-could-vote-assault-weapons/1266949002/
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