Florida’s red flag law and waiting period for gun purchases failed to stop the horrendous massacre at SunTrust Bank in Sebring, Florida, on Wednesday.
Breitbart News reported that Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) signed a $400 million gun control package just weeks after the February 14, 2018, Parkland high school shooting. That package included a red flag law, empowering judges to issue firearm confiscation orders for persons believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
CBS News reports that the gun control package also applied waiting periods to long gun purchases. Prior to the Parkland attack waiting periods only applied to handgun purchases in Florida.
The minimum age for long gun purchases was raised to 21 in the gun control package as well, but none of the controls prevented 21-year-old Zephen Xaver from attacking the bank. The New York Times reports that he opened fire then called the police and said, “I have shot five people.”
Police have not uncovered a motive for the attack.
Xaver is being held in the Highland County jail and was denied bail during a Thursday morning court appearance.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.