St. Lucie County sheriff wants gun dealers to restrict semi-automatic sales after Parkland

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — Sheriff Ken Mascara wants local firearms dealers to stop selling semi-automatic weapons to anyone younger than 21.

That's one of the same restrictions Gov. Rick Scott made on Friday in his sweeping proposals for school safety and gun regulation. Mascara, however, wants something done now, while lawmakers forge legislation.

Mascara said he will send letters on Tuesday to 84 federally licensed dealers in St. Lucie County, asking them to immediately — and voluntarily — restrict gun sales.

"Immediately after the (Parkland shooting), one common question that was posed to me from students, parents, educators and the general public was how could an 18-year-old buy an assault rifle," Mascara said Monday at a media briefing with county law enforcement and school officials.

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Scott on Friday proposed raising the age limit for all firearm sales from 18 to 21 as part of his $500 million plan to address school safety and security in response to the Feb. 14 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which left 17 people dead.

Active-duty and reserve military and their spouses, National Guard members and members of law enforcement would be exempted from Scott's proposal.

Mascara, along with the Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce police chiefs, on Monday said they supported Scott's idea.

“In government, we want common-sense answers to problems,” Mascara said. “( Scott's proposal) appears to be a very common-sense approach to one of the factors in this equation.”

Mascara said he polled about 10 gun shops about age limits after the Parkland shooting. Some already prohibited selling semi-automatic weapons to customers younger than 21, and others supported raising the age for purchases to 21, he said.

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Brian DeVito, owner and president of The Tactical Store in Port St. Lucie, didn't speak with Mascara but said he is willing to sign Mascara's agreement.

The maturity level among teenagers is not what it once was, said DeVito, whose store opened in 2013 and describes its staff as "AR-15 experts."

"I truly believe an 18-year-old today is not the same as an 18-year-old 30 years ago," DeVito said. “I’m behind it if they think it’s going to make a difference."

School and law-enforcement officials also discussed the heavily-criticized response of deputies to the Parkland shooting and how safety measures could change locally.

Deputies and police officers in St. Lucie County are trained to engage shooters, regardless if they are alone or with a SWAT team, officials said. An armed school resource officer, a Broward County sheriff's deputy, reportedly stayed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for minutes as the shooter continued his rampage.

"There's no wait," said Fort Pierce Police Chief Diane Hobley-Burney. “If you’re the patrol officer or if you’re the school resource officer at that school, you will respond.”

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For security reasons, school Superintendent Wayne Gent said, he could not provide specifics on where the district may fortify campuses with bulletproof glass or reinforced doors as Scott suggested in his proposal.

The district is looking at improving fencing, access points and cameras, Gent said.

Arming teachers, however, is off the table, Gent said.

“Our teachers are under enough pressure and stress as it is just dealing with the day-to-day activities of students and accountability and testing,” Gent said.

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