Palm Beach County lawmakers on Wednesday jumped into the national debate over gun violence.
State Senator Maria Sachs and Representative Lori Berman unveiled a bill to require background checks on all gun sales in Florida.
Berman said 40% of such sales are via gun shows or the Internet, allowing guns to be sold without buyer screening of any kind."We support the right of people to have guns, but we don't believe you should be able to sell or transfer your gun without making sure that the person who's purchasing the gun is legally entitled to purchase that gun", said Berman.
The bill is certain to face strong opposition, led by Marion Hammer of the National Rifle Association.
Hammer said the bill would require dealers to turn guns over to the sheriff when a would-be buyer fails the background check. She called that "confiscation with no compensation."
"This is supposed to be a free country, and law-abiding people are not supposed to be encumbered by every imaginable kind of restriction that a legislator who doesn't like guns makes up", said Hammer.
The bill would ban the sale of guns to convicts, fugitives, veterans who were dishonorably discharged, and people addicted to drugs or committed to mental institutions.