opinion

Yes, some gun shop owners support stronger gun laws in Florida | Eve Samples

Kim Waltuch will be the first to tell you she's not your typical gun shop owner.

She was a preschool teacher for 19 years.

She's a mother and a widow.

As the operator of one of Broward County's most popular gun ranges, Gun World of South Florida, the petite Parkland resident is an ardent supporter of the Second Amendment.

Here's another thing about Waltuch:

She is in favor of strengthening parts of Florida's gun laws.

Age limits, concealed permits, checks

Three areas where Waltuch sees opportunity for improvement:

1.) Increase the age limit for buying "long guns," including the semi-automatic AR-15, from 18 to 21.

"You can't drink when you're 18," Waltuch told me last week, as we sat in her spacious office in Deerfield Beach, about 9 miles from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

So why should someone like Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old charged in the Parkland shooting, be able to buy one legally?

2.) Require concealed weapons licenses to be renewed every four years, instead of every seven years.

“A lot happens in seven years. ... They need to make sure that their mental state is OK. They need to make sure that they can shoot correctly, that something hasn’t occurred that has affected them,” Waltuch said.

3.) Implement better coordination between agencies involved in background checks for gun purchases, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

As Waltuch put it, “The FDLE needs to have better information, better communication.”

Her suggestions are reasonable, moderate reforms.

The question now is whether both chambers of the state legislature and Gov. Rick Scott can come to terms on such measures.

Proposal in Tallahassee

On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his ideas for responding to the Parkland shooting that killed 17 people. They included:

Creation of a "violent-threat restraining order" that would allow courts to prohibit a violent or mentally ill person from possessing a firearm after family members or others filed a sworn report of a threat involving weapons.

Forcing individuals who are involuntarily committed via the Baker Act to surrender their guns for at least 60 days, or until a court deems it's safe to restore access.

Increasing the purchase age for all firearms to 21 (with exceptions for residents with military connections).

Banning the purchase of "bump stocks," which are used to enable semi-automatic guns to fire more quickly.

Requiring at least one law enforcement officer per 1,000 students at every school in Florida.

Waltuch said she thought Scott's proposals "sound like a great idea."

But we shouldn't assume there will be easy consensus on any gun-related legislation in Tallahassee.

MORE: Viral rise of 'Never Again' could change Florida | Eve Samples

The president of the Florida Senate, Joe Negron, R-Palm City, told me Thursday he is not yet convinced about raising the age requirement to 21 for all firearm sales.

Negron also is noncommittal about creating a violent-threat restraining order.

“I want to be cautious before we allow just anyone to file a petition, and allow anyone to take guns away from law-abiding citizens,” Negron said.

But he favors giving "appropriately trained, appropriately credentialed" teachers the right to carry guns on school campuses — something Scott is not in favor of.

“I disagree with arming teachers," Scott said during his news conference Friday. "Let law enforcement focus on keeping them safe, and let teachers focus on teaching."

It's hard to specify, at this point, what will be agreed upon by the state Senate, state House and governor by the end of legislative session March 9.

It's easier to pinpoint what they won't do: They won't ban semi-automatic rifles and won't ban high-capacity magazines.

That's something Scott, Negron and Waltuch all agree on.

That won't sit well with family members and survivors of the Parkland shooting who are calling for those very things.

Brief history of Florida gun laws

We should not be surprised by Florida leaders' lack of will to push gun restrictions further. They proudly have worked on the wishes of the National Rifle Association in recent years.

Last year, lawmakers and Scott strengthened the already controversial "Stand Your Ground" law. The beefed-up version shifts the burden of proof from defendants claiming immunity under Stand Your Ground to prosecutors in pretrial hearings to prove if force was used lawfully.

Also last year, Florida lawmakers attempted, unsuccessfully, to allow concealed weapons permit-holders to carry guns on college campuses, in airports and in government meetings.

MORE: Time to limit new AR-15 sales | Our view

In 2011, state lawmakers approved the Firearms Owners' Privacy Act — commonly known as "Docs vs. Glocks" — curtailing doctors' rights to ask patients about guns. A group of doctors sued, and it was overturned last year after the courts deemed it violated the First Amendment (leaving taxpayers on the hook for $1.1 million in legal fees.)

Also in 2011, Negron was one of the sponsors of an approved law that banned local governments and officials from imposing firearm and ammunition regulations that supersede the state’s gun laws. Violators could pay up to $5,000 and face removal from office. The NRA helped Negron craft the law, which forced Martin County to rescind a ban on firing guns within 300 yards of a building.

Negron, whose wife Rebecca is a Martin County School Board member, told me Thursday he has no plans after Parkland to stop accepting campaign contributions linked to the NRA (as he did with sugar industry contributions after the money became what he saw as a distraction).

“I would be proud to receive contributions from the NRA, and I would be happy to have their endorsement,” Negron said.

Reforms overdue

What I heard from Waltuch did not surprise me.

Back in 2013, after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, I interviewed other gun range owners who called for moderate reforms — especially improved background checks for private sales.

“That’s where guns get moved and end up in the wrong hands very easily,” Robbie Abell, owner of Lotus Gunworks in Jensen Beach, told me at the time.

Inadequate action was taken to address the problem then.

After Parkland, will lawmakers be more responsive? Will the Republican-controlled state House and Senate embrace reforms that Scott can get behind?

The next two weeks will be telling.

Eve Samples is opinion and audience engagement editor for TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers, which is part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at 772-221-4217 or eve.samples@tcpalm.com. Follow her on Twitter @EveSamples.