Florida Republicans revive push to lower gun purchase age to 18

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republicans are gearing up once again to try and reduce the minimum age to purchase firearms from 21 to 18, a rollback of post-Parkland reforms that has failed in recent years but could gain new momentum heading into the 2026 legislative session.

The state’s law currently requires buyers to be 21 for purchase of long guns (handgun purchases are restricted to 21+ under federal rules). But Florida GOP Chair Evan Power is pushing for change, arguing it’s a matter of fairness and constitutional rights.

“Look, if you can sign on the dotted line and be forced on a draft to go serve your country and fire guns, why are we not letting those people have those rights in our state?” Power said. “And I think constitutional rights are constitutional rights. They start at 18. If you want to have a conversation about moving the age, it should be about moving all of those rights.”

Backing him is newly sworn-in Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, a strong supporter of Second Amendment protections. “Well, I'll tell you, you can't go wrong with 2A rights,” Collins told us recently. “You know, I am an unequivocal supporter of that.”

Online, the new LT followed up with: “Without equivocation. This needs to be fixed,” he said on X. “Restricting law abiding citizens of their right to bear arms is unconstitutional.”

Collins previously carried the bill as a state senator and could now bring added political weight to the effort. The proposal has repeatedly cleared the Florida House and has support from Gov. Ron DeSantis, but it keeps stalling in the more moderate Senate.

Senate President Ben Albritton has so far shown no interest in changing course. “Twenty-one to 18? It’s dead,” Albritton said earlier this year. The measure never received a hearing in the Senate.

Adding fuel to the debate, a deadly April shooting at Florida State University — allegedly carried out by a 20-year-old — sparked student marches at the Capitol and renewed Democratic calls to keep the law in place.

House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell said Republicans should focus on pressing economic issues instead of pushing what she called “extremist legislation.”

“We're facing a crisis of affordability. Nearly 40% of our children are on Medicaid,” Driskell said. “We have some real issues that we must get down, get down to business, and address those, and I hope that that can become the focus of our legislative session going forward.”

Democrats don’t have the numbers to stop the bill outright, but a coalition with GOP holdouts could keep the current law intact. Whether Collins’ rise to lieutenant governor provides enough political muscle to change that equation remains to be seen.

This proposal is one of several gun rights measures expected to surface next year. DeSantis also supports eliminating red flag laws and allowing full open carry in Florida, though both face similar roadblocks in the Senate.