TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner opened fire on the Florida State University Campus Thursday afternoon, he was armed with his stepmother’s former service weapon from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office.
Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell, who is heading the investigation, says it’s common practice for law enforcement to keep their old firearms.
“Many agencies, mine included, when we transition to a new handgun, the officers are allowed to purchase the handguns they used prior,” Revell said in a news conference Thursday. “This was a handgun the deputy used prior to transitioning to a new handgun. So, it was her personal handgun.”
Just a little more than a mile from the FSU campus, the Florida Legislature has been considering legislation to revoke gun control measures passed after the 2018 Parkland school massacre.
The current law prohibits most people under the age of 21 from purchasing rifles and other long guns.
But seven years later, there’s a renewed push to strip the law from the books.
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Legislation has already passed the State House of Representatives to allow 18 through 20-year-olds to purchase rifles.
However, the bill has stalled in the Senate.
Federal law already prevents most people under the age of 21 from buying handguns.
However, 18 through 20-year-olds are allowed to receive firearms as gifts under state and federal laws.
