Florida Senate - 2011                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. CS for CS for SB 402
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 604844                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Rules (Negron) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Substitute for Amendment (764102) (with title
    2  amendment)
    3  
    4         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    5  and insert:
    6  
    7         Section 1. Section 790.33, Florida Statutes, is amended to
    8  read:
    9         790.33 Field of regulation of firearms and ammunition
   10  preempted.—
   11         (1) PREEMPTION.—Except as expressly provided by the State
   12  Constitution or general law, the Legislature hereby declares
   13  that it is occupying the whole field of regulation of firearms
   14  and ammunition, including the purchase, sale, transfer,
   15  taxation, manufacture, ownership, possession, storage, and
   16  transportation thereof, to the exclusion of all existing and
   17  future county, city, town, or municipal ordinances or any
   18  administrative regulations or rules adopted by local or state
   19  government relating thereto. Any such existing ordinances,
   20  rules, or regulations are hereby declared null and void. This
   21  subsection shall not affect zoning ordinances which encompass
   22  firearms businesses along with other businesses. Zoning
   23  ordinances which are designed for the purpose of restricting or
   24  prohibiting the sale, purchase, transfer, or manufacture of
   25  firearms or ammunition as a method of regulating firearms or
   26  ammunition are in conflict with this subsection and are
   27  prohibited.
   28         (2) LIMITED EXCEPTION; COUNTY WAITING-PERIOD ORDINANCES.—
   29         (a) Any county may have the option to adopt a waiting
   30  period ordinance requiring a waiting period of up to, but not to
   31  exceed, 3 working days between the purchase and delivery of a
   32  handgun. For purposes of this subsection, “purchase” means
   33  payment of deposit, payment in full, or notification of intent
   34  to purchase. Adoption of a waiting-period ordinance, by any
   35  county, shall require a majority vote of the county commission
   36  on votes on waiting-period ordinances. This exception is limited
   37  solely to individual counties and is limited to the provisions
   38  and restrictions contained in this subsection.
   39         (b) Ordinances authorized by this subsection shall apply to
   40  all sales of handguns to individuals by a retail establishment
   41  except those sales to individuals exempted in this subsection.
   42  For purposes of this subsection, “retail establishment” means a
   43  gun shop, sporting goods store, pawn shop, hardware store,
   44  department store, discount store, bait or tackle shop, or any
   45  other store or shop that offers handguns for walk-in retail sale
   46  but does not include gun collectors shows or exhibits, or gun
   47  shows.
   48         (c) Ordinances authorized by this subsection shall not
   49  require any reporting or notification to any source outside the
   50  retail establishment, but records of handgun sales must be
   51  available for inspection, during normal business hours, by any
   52  law enforcement agency as defined in s. 934.02.
   53         (d) The following shall be exempt from any waiting period:
   54         1. Individuals who are licensed to carry concealed firearms
   55  under the provisions of s. 790.06 or who are licensed to carry
   56  concealed firearms under any other provision of state law and
   57  who show a valid license;
   58         2. Individuals who already lawfully own another firearm and
   59  who show a sales receipt for another firearm; who are known to
   60  own another firearm through a prior purchase from the retail
   61  establishment; or who have another firearm for trade-in;
   62         3. A law enforcement or correctional officer as defined in
   63  s. 943.10;
   64         4. A law enforcement agency as defined in s. 934.02;
   65         5. Sales or transactions between dealers or between
   66  distributors or between dealers and distributors who have
   67  current federal firearms licenses; or
   68         6. Any individual who has been threatened or whose family
   69  has been threatened with death or bodily injury, provided the
   70  individual may lawfully possess a firearm and provided such
   71  threat has been duly reported to local law enforcement.
   72         (2)(3) POLICY AND INTENT.—
   73         (a) It is the intent of this section to provide uniform
   74  firearms laws in the state; to declare all ordinances and
   75  regulations null and void which have been enacted by any
   76  jurisdictions other than state and federal, which regulate
   77  firearms, ammunition, or components thereof; to prohibit the
   78  enactment of any future ordinances or regulations relating to
   79  firearms, ammunition, or components thereof unless specifically
   80  authorized by this section or general law; and to require local
   81  jurisdictions to enforce state firearms laws.
   82         (b) It is further the intent of this section to deter and
   83  prevent the violation of this section and the violation of
   84  rights protected under the constitution and laws of this state
   85  related to firearms, ammunition, or components thereof, by the
   86  abuse of official authority that occurs when enactments are
   87  passed in violation of state law or under color of local or
   88  state authority.
   89         (3) PROHIBITIONS; PENALTIES.—
   90         (a) Any person, county, agency, municipality, district, or
   91  other entity that violates the Legislature’s occupation of the
   92  whole field of regulation of firearms and ammunition, as
   93  declared in subsection (1), by enacting or causing to be
   94  enforced any local ordinance or administrative rule or
   95  regulation impinging upon such exclusive occupation of the field
   96  shall be liable as set forth herein.
   97         (b) If any county, city, town, or other local government
   98  violates this section, the court shall declare the improper
   99  ordinance, regulation, or rule invalid and issue a permanent
  100  injunction against the local government prohibiting it from
  101  enforcing such ordinance, regulation, or rule. It is no defense
  102  that in enacting the ordinance, regulation, or rule the local
  103  government was acting in good faith or upon advice of counsel.
  104         (c) If the court determines that a violation was knowing
  105  and willful, the court shall assess a civil fine of up to $5,000
  106  against the elected or appointed local government official or
  107  officials or administrative agency head under whose jurisdiction
  108  the violation occurred.
  109         (d) Except as required by applicable law, public funds may
  110  not be used to defend or reimburse the unlawful conduct of any
  111  person found to have knowingly and willfully violated this
  112  section.
  113         (e) A knowing and willful violation of any provision of
  114  this section by a person acting in an official capacity for any
  115  entity enacting or causing to be enforced a local ordinance or
  116  administrative rule or regulation prohibited under paragraph (a)
  117  or otherwise under color of law shall be cause for termination
  118  of employment or contract or removal from office by the
  119  Governor.
  120         (f) A person or an organization whose membership is
  121  adversely affected by any ordinance, regulation, measure,
  122  directive, rule, enactment, order, or policy promulgated or
  123  caused to be enforced in violation of this section may file suit
  124  against any county, agency, municipality, district, or other
  125  entity in any court of this state having jurisdiction over any
  126  defendant to the suit for declaratory and injunctive relief and
  127  for actual damages, as limited herein, caused by the violation.
  128  A court shall award the prevailing plaintiff in any such suit:
  129         1. Reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs in accordance with
  130  the laws of this state, including a contingency fee multiplier,
  131  as authorized by law; and
  132         2. The actual damages incurred, but not more than $100,000.
  133  
  134  Interest on the sums awarded pursuant to this subsection shall
  135  accrue at the legal rate from the date on which suit was filed.
  136         (4) EXCEPTIONS.—This section does not prohibit:
  137         (a) Zoning ordinances that encompass firearms businesses
  138  along with other businesses, except that zoning ordinances that
  139  are designed for the purpose of restricting or prohibiting the
  140  sale, purchase, transfer, or manufacture of firearms or
  141  ammunition as a method of regulating firearms or ammunition are
  142  in conflict with this subsection and are prohibited;
  143         (b) A duly organized law enforcement agency from enacting
  144  and enforcing regulations pertaining to firearms, ammunition, or
  145  firearm accessories issued to or used by peace officers in the
  146  course of their official duties;
  147         (c) Except as provided in s. 790.251, any entity subject to
  148  the prohibitions of this section from regulating or prohibiting
  149  the carrying of firearms and ammunition by an employee of the
  150  entity during and in the course of the employee’s official
  151  duties;
  152         (d) A court or administrative law judge from hearing and
  153  resolving any case or controversy or issuing any opinion or
  154  order on a matter within the jurisdiction of that court or
  155  judge; or
  156         (e) The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
  157  from regulating the use of firearms or ammunition as a method of
  158  taking wildlife and regulating the shooting ranges managed by
  159  the commission.
  160         (5)(b)SHORT TITLE.—As created by chapter 87-23, Laws of
  161  Florida, this section shall be known and may be cited as the
  162  “Joe Carlucci Uniform Firearms Act.”
  163         Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2011.
  164  
  165  
  166  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  167         And the title is amended as follows:
  168         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  169  and insert:
  170                        A bill to be entitled                      
  171         An act relating to the regulation of firearms and
  172         ammunition; amending s. 790.33, F.S.; clarifying and
  173         reorganizing provisions that preempt to the state the
  174         entire field of regulation of firearms; prohibiting
  175         the violation of the Legislature’s occupation of the
  176         whole field of regulation of firearms and ammunition
  177         by the enactment or causation of enforcement of any
  178         local ordinance or administrative rule or regulation;
  179         providing additional intent of the section;
  180         eliminating provisions authorizing counties to adopt
  181         an ordinance requiring a waiting period between the
  182         purchase and delivery of a handgun; providing
  183         injunctive relief from the enforcement of an invalid
  184         ordinance, regulation, or rule; providing a civil
  185         penalty for knowing and willful violation of
  186         prohibitions; providing that public funds may not be
  187         used to defend or reimburse the unlawful conduct of
  188         any person charged with a knowing and willful
  189         violation of the section; providing for termination of
  190         employment or contract or removal from office of a
  191         person acting in an official capacity who knowingly
  192         and willfully violates any provision of the section;
  193         providing for declaratory and injunctive relief for
  194         specified persons or organizations; providing for
  195         specified damages and interest; providing exceptions
  196         to prohibitions of the section; providing an effective
  197         date.