Policy Analysis: HB 133: Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase or Transfer
Restoring Rights, Not Expanding Privileges
Libertarian Policy Center of Florida
Policy Analysis: HB 133 – Minimum Age for Firearm Purchase or Transfer
By Representative Tyler Sirois (District 31)
Restoring Rights, Not Expanding Privileges
In 2018, the Florida Legislature passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, a sweeping and reactionary measure that stripped 18- to 20-year-old adults of their ability to lawfully purchase long guns. This restriction was driven by emotion, not evidence. It punished millions of responsible Floridians for the actions of one individual.
HB 133, introduced by Representative Tyler Sirois, seeks to correct that mistake and restore the full constitutional rights of Florida’s 18- to 20-year-old adults to purchase and possess a firearm.
Adulthood Comes With Rights, Not State Permission
Eighteen-year-olds are legally recognized as adults. They can vote, enter contracts, live independently, pay taxes, marry, and be tried as adults in court. Yet under current law, these same adults cannot purchase a long gun unless they happen to wear a military uniform or serve in law enforcement.
That exemption for military and police personnel exposes the hypocrisy of the law. The state acknowledges that 18- to 20-year-olds can safely handle firearms, but only when acting under government authority. The message is clear: you can be trusted with a gun when you serve the state, but not when you exercise your own individual rights.
In a free society, the right to bear arms belongs to the citizen, not merely to those sanctioned by government institutions.
The Principle at Stake: Individual Liberty vs. Collective Punishment
The 2018 restriction represents collective punishment. Instead of holding individuals accountable for their own actions, the state punished an entire age group for the crimes of one person. That is fundamentally un-American and incompatible with the principles of liberty.
There is no credible evidence that denying lawful firearm purchases to 18- to 20-year-olds reduces crime. What it does is disarm responsible young adults, many of whom are living on their own, starting families, or pursuing education, and leave them unable to defend themselves in an increasingly uncertain world.
A Constitutional and Philosophical Imperative
Neither the U.S. Constitution nor the Florida Constitution includes an age qualification on the right to keep and bear arms. Article I, Section 8 of the Florida Constitution affirms: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed.”
By continuing to deny this right to adult citizens, Florida’s government violates the very principles it claims to uphold. HB 133 corrects this violation by reaffirming that constitutional rights are not privileges reserved for the favored few; they belong to all adults equally.
Conclusion: Liberty Without Exceptions
The state of Florida should never have taken away the rights of 18- to 20-year-old citizens to purchase a long gun. Exempting those who serve the state only deepens the injustice, creating two classes of adults: those who can exercise their rights, and those who cannot.
HB 133 restores fairness, consistency, and liberty. It recognizes that the right to bear arms does not come from the government, nor should it depend on one’s occupation or uniform. Freedom is either for all adults, or it isn’t freedom at all.