Assault Weapons Penalties Proposed

Boosting penalties probably won't make a difference to the criminals but, apparently, some people think so.

Hoping to reverse an "alarming trend," two Florida state lawmakers, both Democrats, have introduced a bill that would require stiffer mandatory sentences for criminals who use semiautomatic or automatic weapons.

The legislation also targets criminals who fraudulently acquire assault weapons and sellers who "know or should have known the buyer was using false identification."

In a Feb. 6 news release announcing the bill, State Senator Gwen Margolis and Representative Evan Jenne mentioned a case in September, where a 25-year-old fugitive shot and killed a Miami-Dade police officer with a semi-automatic rifle. [ ... ]

The lawmakers said they hope to "break the supply chain and reduce the number of illegally obtained guns in our communities."

Although on the edges, it's undoubtedly a gun control measure and is expected to be rejected by 2nd Amendment groups.

Companion post at GunWatch.