Bill Text: FL S0492 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Regulation of Firearms and Ammunition

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2014-05-02 - Died in Criminal Justice [S0492 Detail]

Download: Florida-2014-S0492-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2014                                     SB 492
       
       
        
       By Senator Margolis
       
       
       
       
       
       35-00715-14                                            2014492__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the regulation of firearms and
    3         ammunition; amending s. 790.33, F.S.; providing that,
    4         except as otherwise expressly prohibited by the State
    5         Constitution, a county or municipality may regulate
    6         the field of possession of firearms on property owned
    7         by such county or municipality; amending s. 790.251,
    8         F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the
    9         act; providing an effective date.
   10  
   11         WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 2, Article VIII of the State
   12  Constitution and section 166.021, Florida Statutes,
   13  municipalities have been granted broad home rule powers, and
   14         WHEREAS, the Legislature has made an exception to this
   15  policy by enacting section 790.33, Florida Statutes, preempting
   16  the field of regulation of firearms and ammunition to itself,
   17  and
   18         WHEREAS, there are counties and municipalities that seek to
   19  exercise their home rule powers in the field of regulation of
   20  firearms and ammunition upon property owned by such counties or
   21  municipalities with the same freedom that they have in other
   22  fields to consider and account for local conditions and
   23  sensibilities, NOW, THEREFORE,
   24  
   25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   26  
   27         Section 1. Section 790.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   28  read:
   29         790.33 Field of regulation of firearms and ammunition;
   30  county and municipal ordinances preempted.—
   31         (1) PREEMPTION.—Except as otherwise expressly prohibited
   32  provided by the State Constitution or general law, a county or
   33  municipality may enact and enforce ordinances that regulate
   34  possession of firearms on property owned by such county or
   35  municipality the Legislature hereby declares that it is
   36  occupying the whole field of regulation of firearms and
   37  ammunition, including the purchase, sale, transfer, taxation,
   38  manufacture, ownership, possession, storage, and transportation
   39  thereof, to the exclusion of all existing and future county,
   40  city, town, or municipal ordinances or any administrative
   41  regulations or rules adopted by local or state government
   42  relating thereto. Any such existing ordinances, rules, or
   43  regulations are hereby declared null and void.
   44         (2) POLICY AND INTENT.—
   45         (a) It is the intent of this section to provide uniform
   46  firearms laws in the state; to declare all ordinances and
   47  regulations null and void which have been enacted by any
   48  jurisdictions other than state and federal, which regulate
   49  firearms, ammunition, or components thereof; to prohibit the
   50  enactment of any future ordinances or regulations relating to
   51  firearms, ammunition, or components thereof unless specifically
   52  authorized by this section or general law; and to require local
   53  jurisdictions to enforce state firearms laws.
   54         (b) It is further the intent of this section to deter and
   55  prevent the violation of this section and the violation of
   56  rights protected under the constitution and laws of this state
   57  related to firearms, ammunition, or components thereof, by the
   58  abuse of official authority that occurs when enactments are
   59  passed in violation of state law or under color of local or
   60  state authority.
   61         (3) PROHIBITIONS; PENALTIES.—
   62         (a) Any person, county, agency, municipality, district, or
   63  other entity that violates the Legislature’s occupation of the
   64  whole field of regulation of firearms and ammunition, as
   65  declared in subsection (1), by enacting or causing to be
   66  enforced any local ordinance or administrative rule or
   67  regulation impinging upon such exclusive occupation of the field
   68  shall be liable as set forth herein.
   69         (b) If any county, city, town, or other local government
   70  violates this section, the court shall declare the improper
   71  ordinance, regulation, or rule invalid and issue a permanent
   72  injunction against the local government prohibiting it from
   73  enforcing such ordinance, regulation, or rule. It is no defense
   74  that in enacting the ordinance, regulation, or rule the local
   75  government was acting in good faith or upon advice of counsel.
   76         (c) If the court determines that a violation was knowing
   77  and willful, the court shall assess a civil fine of up to $5,000
   78  against the elected or appointed local government official or
   79  officials or administrative agency head under whose jurisdiction
   80  the violation occurred.
   81         (d) Except as required by applicable law, public funds may
   82  not be used to defend or reimburse the unlawful conduct of any
   83  person found to have knowingly and willfully violated this
   84  section.
   85         (e) A knowing and willful violation of any provision of
   86  this section by a person acting in an official capacity for any
   87  entity enacting or causing to be enforced a local ordinance or
   88  administrative rule or regulation prohibited under paragraph (a)
   89  or otherwise under color of law shall be cause for termination
   90  of employment or contract or removal from office by the
   91  Governor.
   92         (f) A person or an organization whose membership is
   93  adversely affected by any ordinance, regulation, measure,
   94  directive, rule, enactment, order, or policy promulgated or
   95  caused to be enforced in violation of this section may file suit
   96  against any county, agency, municipality, district, or other
   97  entity in any court of this state having jurisdiction over any
   98  defendant to the suit for declaratory and injunctive relief and
   99  for actual damages, as limited herein, caused by the violation.
  100  A court shall award the prevailing plaintiff in any such suit:
  101         1. Reasonable attorney’s fees and costs in accordance with
  102  the laws of this state, including a contingency fee multiplier,
  103  as authorized by law; and
  104         2. The actual damages incurred, but not more than $100,000.
  105  
  106  Interest on the sums awarded pursuant to this subsection shall
  107  accrue at the legal rate from the date on which suit was filed.
  108         (4) EXCEPTIONS.—This section does not prohibit:
  109         (a) Zoning ordinances that encompass firearms businesses
  110  along with other businesses, except that zoning ordinances that
  111  are designed for the purpose of restricting or prohibiting the
  112  sale, purchase, transfer, or manufacture of firearms or
  113  ammunition as a method of regulating firearms or ammunition are
  114  in conflict with this subsection and are prohibited;
  115         (b) A duly organized law enforcement agency from enacting
  116  and enforcing regulations pertaining to firearms, ammunition, or
  117  firearm accessories issued to or used by peace officers in the
  118  course of their official duties;
  119         (c) Except as provided in s. 790.251, any entity subject to
  120  the prohibitions of this section from regulating or prohibiting
  121  the carrying of firearms and ammunition by an employee of the
  122  entity during and in the course of the employee’s official
  123  duties;
  124         (d) A court or administrative law judge from hearing and
  125  resolving any case or controversy or issuing any opinion or
  126  order on a matter within the jurisdiction of that court or
  127  judge; or
  128         (e) The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  129  from regulating the use of firearms or ammunition as a method of
  130  taking wildlife and regulating the shooting ranges managed by
  131  the commission.
  132         (5) SHORT TITLE.—As created by chapter 87-23, Laws of
  133  Florida, this section may be cited as the “Joe Carlucci Uniform
  134  Firearms Act.”
  135         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 790.251, Florida
  136  Statutes, is amended to read:
  137         790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in
  138  motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes;
  139  prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity
  140  from liability; enforcement.—
  141         (4) PROHIBITED ACTS.—No public or private employer may
  142  violate the constitutional rights of any customer, employee, or
  143  invitee as provided in paragraphs (a)-(e):
  144         (a) No public or private employer may prohibit any
  145  customer, employee, or invitee from possessing any legally owned
  146  firearm when such firearm is lawfully possessed and locked
  147  inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot and
  148  when the customer, employee, or invitee is lawfully in such
  149  area.
  150         (b) No public or private employer may violate the privacy
  151  rights of a customer, employee, or invitee by verbal or written
  152  inquiry regarding the presence of a firearm inside or locked to
  153  a private motor vehicle in a parking lot or by an actual search
  154  of a private motor vehicle in a parking lot to ascertain the
  155  presence of a firearm within the vehicle. Further, no public or
  156  private employer may take any action against a customer,
  157  employee, or invitee based upon verbal or written statements of
  158  any party concerning possession of a firearm stored inside a
  159  private motor vehicle in a parking lot for lawful purposes. A
  160  search of a private motor vehicle in the parking lot of a public
  161  or private employer to ascertain the presence of a firearm
  162  within the vehicle may only be conducted by on-duty law
  163  enforcement personnel, based upon due process and must comply
  164  with constitutional protections.
  165         (c) No public or private employer shall condition
  166  employment upon either:
  167         1. The fact that an employee or prospective employee holds
  168  or does not hold a license issued pursuant to s. 790.06; or
  169         2. Any agreement by an employee or a prospective employee
  170  that prohibits an employee from keeping a legal firearm locked
  171  inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot
  172  when such firearm is kept for lawful purposes.
  173         (d) No public or private employer shall prohibit or attempt
  174  to prevent any customer, employee, or invitee from entering the
  175  parking lot of the employer’s place of business because the
  176  customer’s, employee’s, or invitee’s private motor vehicle
  177  contains a legal firearm being carried for lawful purposes, that
  178  is out of sight within the customer’s, employee’s, or invitee’s
  179  private motor vehicle.
  180         (e) No public or private employer may terminate the
  181  employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or
  182  expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her
  183  constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the
  184  right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on
  185  company property for any reason other than lawful defensive
  186  purposes.
  187  
  188  This subsection applies to all public sector employers,
  189  including those already limited in their ability to regulate
  190  prohibited from regulating firearms under the provisions of s.
  191  790.33.
  192         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.

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