Some gun owners in the state of Florida could soon be forced to give up their weapons under state law.
Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole shows us how many gun owners have already surrendered their arms, and who could be next.
Just four months after Gov. Rick Scott signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act into law, more than 450 gun owners in the Sunshine State have been forced to surrender their guns under what's called a Risk Protection Order.
It now allows family members and law enforcement to report someone they believe is unfit to have a weapon, because they could be a danger to themselves and others.
A judge makes the final decision on whether the individual is allowed to keep their weapon.
Action News Jax Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson says while the law is fairly new, the concept is not.
"It's something that's been going on for years, it's just under-reported," Carson said.
Of the total number of guns, 200 have come from Pinellas County, alone according to a Fox News report.
Action News Jax reached out to our local law enforcement agencies.
No gun owners have been affected in St. Johns or Nassau counties.
There’s no report from Clay County at this time, and we’re still waiting from information from JSO.
When some view this law as a means to cut down on violence and crime, Carson says Second Amendment supporters still have this question:
"Who makes the determination that someone should be a prohibited person? This allows an opportunity for people to get together and say, 'I don't like that person--they clearly believe in something that we don't and so they shouldn't have a gun', and that's the danger of this law," said Carson.
Cox Media Group
