A bill changing Florida’s minimum mandatory sentencing rules passed its first Senate panel Monday.
Under Florida’s 10-20-Life law, a person could be charged with aggravated assault and get 20 years for discharging a firearm. Jacksonville Republican Senator Aaron Bean says that’s even if the person has no criminal history, is making a self-defense claim and just only fired a warning shot. Bean originally filed a measure giving judges discretion to hand out a lesser sentence in all cases, but lawmakers narrowed the measure Monday for aggravated assault cases only.
“And, so we just want to say the net we cast was too big a net, and we just want to make sure some of these folks—just for defending themselves—shouldn’t automatically be sent to prison,” said Bean.
The measure now has the backing of the NRA, state attorneys, public defenders, police chiefs, the sheriffs association, and Families Against Mandatory Minimums, which brought the original bill forward.
Stay tuned to Friday's Capital Report for more on this story!
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