| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to weapons or firearms; amending s. |
| 3 | 790.115, F.S.; prohibiting possession of any firearm, |
| 4 | electric weapon, or other specified device on property |
| 5 | operated by a school district; providing criminal |
| 6 | penalties; amending s. 790.251, F.S., and reenacting |
| 7 | subsection (4), relating to prohibited acts; clarifying |
| 8 | that provisions prohibiting restrictions on firearms |
| 9 | possession do not apply to restrictions on possession on |
| 10 | property owned or operated by a school district; banning |
| 11 | the possession, sale, transfer, or manufacture of high- |
| 12 | capacity ammunition feeding devices; providing exceptions; |
| 13 | providing a definition of "high-capacity ammunition |
| 14 | feeding device"; subjecting a person to a criminal penalty |
| 15 | for the unlawful possession, sale, transfer, or |
| 16 | manufacture of a high-capacity ammunition feeding device; |
| 17 | providing an effective date. |
| 18 |
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| 19 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 20 |
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| 21 | Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section |
| 22 | 790.115, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 23 | 790.115 Possessing or discharging weapons or firearms at a |
| 24 | school-sponsored event or on school property prohibited; |
| 25 | penalties; exceptions.- |
| 26 | (2)(a) A person shall not possess any firearm, electric |
| 27 | weapon or device, destructive device, or other weapon as defined |
| 28 | in s. 790.001(13), including a razor blade or box cutter, except |
| 29 | as authorized in support of school-sanctioned activities, at a |
| 30 | school-sponsored event or on any the property owned or operated |
| 31 | by a school district or of any school, school bus, or school bus |
| 32 | stop; however, a person may carry a firearm: |
| 33 | 1. In a case to a firearms program, class or function |
| 34 | which has been approved in advance by the principal or chief |
| 35 | administrative officer of the school as a program or class to |
| 36 | which firearms could be carried; |
| 37 | 2. In a case to a career center having a firearms training |
| 38 | range; or |
| 39 | 3. In a vehicle pursuant to s. 790.25(5); except that |
| 40 | school districts may adopt written and published policies that |
| 41 | waive the exception in this subparagraph for purposes of student |
| 42 | and campus parking privileges. |
| 43 |
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| 44 | For the purposes of this section, "school" means any preschool, |
| 45 | elementary school, middle school, junior high school, secondary |
| 46 | school, career center, or postsecondary school, whether public |
| 47 | or nonpublic. |
| 48 | Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 790.251, Florida |
| 49 | Statutes, is reenacted, and paragraph (a) of subsection (7) of |
| 50 | that section is amended, to read: |
| 51 | 790.251 Protection of the right to keep and bear arms in |
| 52 | motor vehicles for self-defense and other lawful purposes; |
| 53 | prohibited acts; duty of public and private employers; immunity |
| 54 | from liability; enforcement.- |
| 55 | (4) PROHIBITED ACTS.-No public or private employer may |
| 56 | violate the constitutional rights of any customer, employee, or |
| 57 | invitee as provided in paragraphs (a)-(e): |
| 58 | (a) No public or private employer may prohibit any |
| 59 | customer, employee, or invitee from possessing any legally owned |
| 60 | firearm when such firearm is lawfully possessed and locked |
| 61 | inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot and |
| 62 | when the customer, employee, or invitee is lawfully in such |
| 63 | area. |
| 64 | (b) No public or private employer may violate the privacy |
| 65 | rights of a customer, employee, or invitee by verbal or written |
| 66 | inquiry regarding the presence of a firearm inside or locked to |
| 67 | a private motor vehicle in a parking lot or by an actual search |
| 68 | of a private motor vehicle in a parking lot to ascertain the |
| 69 | presence of a firearm within the vehicle. Further, no public or |
| 70 | private employer may take any action against a customer, |
| 71 | employee, or invitee based upon verbal or written statements of |
| 72 | any party concerning possession of a firearm stored inside a |
| 73 | private motor vehicle in a parking lot for lawful purposes. A |
| 74 | search of a private motor vehicle in the parking lot of a public |
| 75 | or private employer to ascertain the presence of a firearm |
| 76 | within the vehicle may only be conducted by on-duty law |
| 77 | enforcement personnel, based upon due process and must comply |
| 78 | with constitutional protections. |
| 79 | (c) No public or private employer shall condition |
| 80 | employment upon either: |
| 81 | 1. The fact that an employee or prospective employee holds |
| 82 | or does not hold a license issued pursuant to s. 790.06; or |
| 83 | 2. Any agreement by an employee or a prospective employee |
| 84 | that prohibits an employee from keeping a legal firearm locked |
| 85 | inside or locked to a private motor vehicle in a parking lot |
| 86 | when such firearm is kept for lawful purposes. |
| 87 | (d) No public or private employer shall prohibit or |
| 88 | attempt to prevent any customer, employee, or invitee from |
| 89 | entering the parking lot of the employer's place of business |
| 90 | because the customer's, employee's, or invitee's private motor |
| 91 | vehicle contains a legal firearm being carried for lawful |
| 92 | purposes, that is out of sight within the customer's, |
| 93 | employee's, or invitee's private motor vehicle. |
| 94 | (e) No public or private employer may terminate the |
| 95 | employment of or otherwise discriminate against an employee, or |
| 96 | expel a customer or invitee for exercising his or her |
| 97 | constitutional right to keep and bear arms or for exercising the |
| 98 | right of self-defense as long as a firearm is never exhibited on |
| 99 | company property for any reason other than lawful defensive |
| 100 | purposes. |
| 101 |
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| 102 | This subsection applies to all public sector employers, |
| 103 | including those already prohibited from regulating firearms |
| 104 | under the provisions of s. 790.33. |
| 105 | (7) EXCEPTIONS.-The prohibitions in subsection (4) do not |
| 106 | apply to: |
| 107 | (a) Any school property owned or operated by a school |
| 108 | district or any school as defined and regulated under s. |
| 109 | 790.115. |
| 110 | Section 3. Ban of high-capacity ammunition feeding |
| 111 | devices.- |
| 112 | (1)(a) A person may not sell or otherwise transfer a high- |
| 113 | capacity ammunition feeding device in this state unless the sale |
| 114 | or transfer is to a law enforcement officer, a Florida National |
| 115 | Guard member on active duty, or a member of the United States |
| 116 | Armed Forces. |
| 117 | (b)1. A person may not possess a high-capacity ammunition |
| 118 | feeding device in this state unless the person is a law |
| 119 | enforcement officer, a Florida National Guard member on active |
| 120 | duty, or a member of the United States Armed Forces or the |
| 121 | person is the manufacturer or an employee of the manufacturer |
| 122 | and the manufacturer is licensed to manufacture the devices |
| 123 | under federal law. |
| 124 | 2. This paragraph does not apply to a person in possession |
| 125 | of a high-capacity ammunition feeding device on July 1, 2011. |
| 126 | However, the person may not sell or otherwise transfer the |
| 127 | device except as authorized in paragraph (a). |
| 128 | (c) A person may not manufacture a high-capacity |
| 129 | ammunition feeding device in this state unless the device is |
| 130 | manufactured for sale to a law enforcement officer, a Florida |
| 131 | National Guard member, or a member of the United States Armed |
| 132 | Forces or is for export as authorized by federal law. |
| 133 | (2) As used in this section, the term "high-capacity |
| 134 | ammunition feeding device" means a magazine, belt, drum, feed |
| 135 | strip, or similar device that has the capacity of, or can be |
| 136 | readily restored or converted to accept, more than 15 rounds of |
| 137 | ammunition. |
| 138 | (3) A person who violates this section commits a felony of |
| 139 | the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. |
| 140 | 775.083, Florida Statutes. |
| 141 | Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2011. |