By: Capitol News Service

July 30, 2019

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (CNS) -- State economists started the process of calculating how much a proposed ban on assault weapons would cost the state and local governments Tuesday morning.

The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit possession of semi automatic rifles or shot guns capable of carrying more than ten rounds of ammunition at once.

It would also require FDLE to develop a registry for current owners who could be exempt from the ban if they register their weapons within a year of the amendment’s passage.

However, economists struggled to understand exactly what types and how many types of guns would be affected by the ban.

“I think we need to sort of come to a consensus on how we're going to, what we're going to agree on what these words mean before we can go further,” said Katie Cunningham who represented the Governor’s Office at the Revenue Estimating Impact Conference.

The ballot measure has almost 100,000 signatures and is ready to be reviewed by the state Supreme Court.

Attorney General Ashley Moody has urged the court to strike down the amendment, arguing the ballot language is misleading and confusing.