A bill that could impose capital punishment for attempted assassinations on heads of state is finally moving, with the Criminal Justice Committee unanimously voting to advance it.

Rep. Jeff Holcomb’s legislation (HB 653) contemplates adding to Florida law that the death sentence applies when a “capital felony was committed against the head of a state, including, but not limited to, the President or the Vice President of the United States or the Governor of this or another state, or in an attempt to commit such crime a capital felony was committed against another individual.”

Holcomb, a Republican from Spring Hill, said his bill extended to heads of state the protections currently afforded to cops.

“Members, just think back to about a year ago, July 13, 2024, when President Trump had an attempted assassination. If that perpetrator had not been taken out by law enforcement, he would have gone on trial. If he had done that in Florida after this bill, he’d be eligible for the death penalty,” Holcomb said, alluding to the rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Trump, however, was not in office at the time, so he technically wouldn’t have been a head of state.

Democrats peppered Holcomb with questions, including about federal penalties for assassination attempts and why in that context a state would replicate them.

Holcomb said current laws “don’t necessarily treat assassination or attempted assassinations for a head of state with the heightened severity that it deserves.”

He also said the bill would provide “deterrence.”

“If you’re going to look to assassinate a head of state, you choose someplace else and not Florida,” he said.

Vice Chair Webster Barnaby extolled the “very, very important bill,” saying it would “ensure that when people come to Florida, they’ll know how to conduct themselves.”

This bill has one stop to go before the House floor.

Meanwhile, the Senate version (SB 776) of this proposal is being carried by another Spring Hill Republican, Sen. Blaise Ingoglia. It has yet to be heard in committee.

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Legislation that could roll back age restrictions on gun purchases put in place after the Parkland shooting cleared its first House committee.

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee advanced a bill (HB 759) that would reduce the age limit to buy firearms from 21 to 18. That follows a call from Gov. Ron DeSantis to roll back restrictions signed by his predecessor, former Gov. Rick Scott, in the wake of a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

“At 18 to 20 years old, you can be tried for crimes and sentenced to death. You can sign contracts, can sue and be sued,” said Rep. Michelle Salzman, a Pensacola Republican.

“You can get married and you can own property. House Bill 759 rectifies an inconsistency in our legal framework by ensuring that all adult citizens in Florida are afforded their full second amendment rights by lowering the minimum age for firearm purchases to 18. We acknowledge the responsibilities and rights that come with adulthood.”

The bill passed on a 13-5 vote. It now heads to the House Judiciary Committee.

In the 2018 Parkland attack, a 19-year-old shooter killed 17 people, including 14 teenage students, and injured 18 others. He used an AR-15 rifle he purchased from a gun shop shortly before the crime.

Gun control advocacy groups vocally opposed the potential change in gun-buying age, which many lobbied for in the aftermath of the shooting.

“After that tragedy, Florida did the right thing by raising the minimum age to buy a long gun to 21. That law has saved lives,” said Fiona Shannon, who leads the League of Women Voters’ gun safety committee.

“Now there was a push to undo that progress, to lower the age back to 18. Why? What has changed? Have we forgotten the pain of Parkland? Have we forgotten the parents who still wake up every day missing their children, the teachers who sacrifice their lives to shield their students?”

But gun rights advocates say it’s unconstitutional to restrict the right to purchase firearms for adults. Luis Valdes, Florida State Director for Gun Owners of America, said similar legislation has already run into legal trouble in other states, including Tennessee and Minnesota.

“On top of that, the Parkland situation was an abject failure of government, not gun control,” Valdes said. “Gun control doesn’t solve anything. The shooter had over 30 points of contact with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and at no point did they take the proper action with him.”

Democrats on the committee criticized House Republicans taking up a rollback of restrictions for the third year in a row. Rep. Dianne Hart, a Tampa Democrat, said gun violence remains a problem in too many Florida schools.

“18-year-olds don’t need guns,” she said. “We don’t let them drink alcohol for a reason: because they’re not ready.”

This marks the first Legislative Session since the Parkland law passed that all House members who voted on that law when it passed have now been termed limited out of office.

Rep. Shane Abbott, a DeFuniak Springs Republican, said if the nation enlists 18-year-olds to fight in the military, citizens that age should be allowed to purchase firearms of their own as well.

Rep. Taylor Yarkosky, a Montverde Republican, said many 18-year-olds are already better trained with firearms than many older residents. He said his own daughter started taking gun safety classes at age 10.

“She’s extremely proficient, and she’s going to college next year at FAU down in Boca, and she’s like, ‘Dad, you’re telling me, I can’t have my rifle? I can’t bring this?’” Yarkosky said. “And I said, ‘No, you can’t under the current law.’ And she is more well trained at this than a lot of people.”

A companion bill (SB 920) has been filed in the Senate by Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican, but it has not been placed on a committee agenda to date. It was directed to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.

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