Florida Gun Owners, this is an important reminder that Effective October 1, 2018, section 790.222, Florida Statutes, goes into effect:
790.222 entitled Bump-fire stocks prohibited. Reads —A person may not import into this state or transfer, distribute, sell, keep for sale, offer for sale, possess, or give to another person a bump fire stock. A person who violates this section commits a felony of the third degree.
The new law goes on to define the term “bump fire stock” to mean a conversion kit, a tool, an accessory, or a device used to alter the rate of fire of a firearm to mimic automatic weapon fire or which is used to increase the rate of fire to a faster rate than is possible for a person to fire such semiautomatic firearm unassisted by a kit, a tool, an accessory, or a device.
Reading the definition should cause concern. It is so vague that it could include almost any modification to your firearm. There are many items sold that can accelerate the rate of fire of a semi-automatic firearm, including both handguns and rifles without making them automatic weapons:
It can be argued that lightening the pressure necessary to pull the trigger increases the rate of fire to a faster rate than possible unassisted by a kit, tool, accessory or device. Until a court rules on this, understand that you may become the test case if you modify your firearm to fire more easily by decreasing the pressure necessary.
Other accessories include, but are certainly not limited to:
Traditional Bump stocks
Crank fire devices
Binary triggers
and many more commercially available conversion kits or devices
It is important to note that there is no grandfathering provision to the new law, which means that if you already own such an item or altered firearm, YOU MUST get rid of it prior to October 1, 2018. You can transfer it lawfully, destroy it, or some local law enforcement agencies are allowing you to turn it in to them for destruction. However you get rid of it, you must do so prior to October 1, 2018.
How To Trick Out Your Gun and Not Land in Jail
In this video, Attorney James Phillips explains how you can modify your firearm in Florida and remain legal. If you have any specific questions, please feel free to reach out by submitting your question for us to answer with the form on the right or contact our firm to discuss your issue.
Hi I’m James Philips, one of Florida’s independent program attorneys for US Law Shield. I am often asked by our members what modifications or accessories they can legally add to their firearms. Recently, the question about whether or not one can add a laser-guided grenade launcher to their rifle came up. The ATF says you can have one so long as it’s been designed or redesigned for use as a signalling, pyrotechnic, line-throwing, safety, or similar device, so the launcher itself is okay. However, there is a problem when you add the grenade to the equation. A grenade is considered a destructive device under both Florida and federal law and therefore is an ATF-regulated NFA item, so you need to be careful in selecting what to launch out of your launcher. Another accessory that has gotten a lot of recent attention, especially in Florida, is the bump fire stock. Governor Scott recently signed Florida Bill SB 7026 making it a third-degree felony punishable up to five years in prison to import, transfer, distribute, sell, keep for sale, possess, or give to another person a bump fire stock. Under Florida law, a bump fire stock is defined as any conversion kit, tool, accessory, or device that alters the rate of fire to mimic an automatic weapon fire or increase the rate of fire more than a semi-automatic firearm would fire unassisted by a kit, tool, accessory, or a device. This law will not go into effect until October the 1st, 2018.
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