Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in January as part of his “law and order” agenda for the 2023 session that he wanted capital punishment for anyone who sexually assaults a child. That’s despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the ban on cruel and unusual punishment in the U.S. Constitution bars the death penalty for child rape.
A Florida Senate committee on Monday approved a bill that would allow the death penalty for people who commit sexual batteries on children under age 12.
A bill to lower the minimum age to buy a long gun in Florida from 21 to 18 has support from Republicans in the House, but it's unlikely to get a hearing in the Senate.
Despite the Florida Senate president's remarks, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a bill that calls for lowering the minimum age to buy a rifle and other long guns from age 21 to age 18.
With backing from Speaker Paul Renner, a House panel on Monday approved a bill that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other long guns in Florida.