A bill allowing people to carry a gun without a license during a mandatory evacuation as part of a declared state of emergency cleared hurdles in both the House and Senate Wednesday.
National Rifle Association’s Marion Hammer is a huge backer of the bill, which failed to pass last year.
“This is the same bill that passed the House overwhelmingly last year,” Hammer said, during a House Criminal Justice Subcommittee hearing Wednesday. “The only difference is the amendment that was just added that defines the amount of time—48 hours to evacuate.”
The measure failed in the Senate, after the Florida Sheriffs Association, at the time, argued the language was too loose. After Wednesday’s hearings, both House and Senate measures now gives a time limit of 48 hours for the amount time people have to evacuate with their firearms. It can also be extended, if need be—provisions the Sheriffs are now on board with. While the House bill passed its first hearing, the Senate has one more committee stop before it heads to the floor.
For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter: @SaschaCordner.
