Jax Senator wants ammo sales to come with anger management

One of your state senators thinks driving down gun violence starts not with guns, but ammunition.

State Senator Audrey Gibson (D-Jacksonville) has sponsored a bill to require you to take a two hour anger management course once every ten years in order to buy any amount of ammunition.

“We just need to be in touch with the things that may trigger us in a negative way,” she says.

Gibson says, right now, it doesn’t take much effort to buy ammunition, and having so much floating around is a danger to public safety and law enforcement.  By requiring the class, and having you present the certificate every time you make a purchase, Gibson hopes you think twice.

“Do I have enough ammunition already, so I really need more ammunition,” she says of some of the questions to consider.

She tells me she doesn’t intend to limit people’s right to own a gun, use them for enjoyment or collect them.  She’s also not saying all gun owners “need help” or need what the course offers.  The intention, instead, is public safety.

“All I want is for people to be more thoughtful,” she says.

She admits this won’t necessarily be the end-all to gun violence, but says it’s an important step to get us in that direction.

There is currently a partner bill offered in the Florida House as well.  Gibson tells me she is reluctant to accept any kind of edits or amendments that may be offered as the bills work through committees because she says the bill now is “simple” and she doesn’t want it to get bogged down with limits or changes.

The legislation would also lengthen the waiting period on purchases for all firearms to match the current period for handguns.