Grassroots group working to get a ballot measure banning assault weapons in Florida

A Miami political committee is working to put a measure before voters that would do something the Legislature hasn’t – ban assault weapons in Florida.

The committee, Ban Assault Weapons Now, submitted a proposed Amendment to the state’s Constitution that they hope will make it onto the 2020 election ballot.

The proposal defines assault weapons as “semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once.”  The weapons kill multiple victims quickly, and have left high death tolls at horrific mass shootings in Florida and around the country.

The proposed Constitutional Amendment would exempt members of the military and law enforcement from the ban, as well as people who owned the assault weapons before the Amendment goes into effect –  but would require that those weapons be registered.

Ban Assault Weapons Now has raised nearly $410,000 so far and has spent nearly $300,000, according to campaign finance records.To get the measure before voters in 2020, the group has to collect more than 766,000 petitions statewide and get approval from the Florida Supreme Court.

To learn more about the effort, visit this link.