NRA sues over new Florida gun legislation: report

The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed a lawsuit over Florida gun legislation that was signed into law on Friday.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to bar the new law from taking effect, The Associated Press reported.

The NRA takes issue with the part of the bill that raises the age limit for purchasing all firearms from 18 to 21, according to the AP.

The NRA claims the regulation violates the Second Amendment, arguing that it violates the constitutional rights of “law-abiding citizens,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat. 

“This blanket ban violates the fundamental rights of thousands of responsible, law-abiding Florida citizens and is thus invalid under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments,” the lawsuit reads.

The 14th Amendment guarantees equal protection under the law. By barring those under 21 from purchasing guns, the lawsuit argues, the Florida law discriminates against adults based on their age.

In particular, the lawsuit alleges that the new law especially impacts young women between the ages of 18 and 21, because they are less likely to commit violent crimes, according to the Democrat.

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Florida lawmakers passed the bill this week that implements a three-day waiting period for purchase of most long guns and bans bump stocks, among other regulations. The bill came just a few weeks after the shooting that left 17 dead and more than a dozen injured at a South Florida high school.

The new law also creates new mental health programs for schools, and allows some trained school personnel to carry concealed handguns on school campuses.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) signed the bill into law on Friday, despite opposition from the NRA.

The NRA harshly criticized the bill after Scott signed it, saying the new measure “punishes law-abiding gun owners for the criminal acts of a deranged individual.”

— Updated 6:52 p.m.