TITLE
RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO AMEND STATE LAW TO PERMIT LOCAL REGISTRATION OF PRIVATELY-OWNED FIREARMS

BODY
WHEREAS, on Friday, December 14, 2012, a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, killing 20 children and 6 adults; and
WHEREAS, the gunman used a number of semi-automatic weapons, including a Bushmaster .223 rifle, a 10 mm Glock handgun, and a 9 mm SIG Sauer handgun; and
WHEREAS, these firearms, as well as other weapons recovered in the car and home of the gunman, belonged to the gunman’s mother, who was also killed that day; and
WHEREAS, this incident came on the heels of another shooting rampage at an Oregon mall where a gunman killed two people and injured one with an AR-15 assault rifle; and
WHEREAS, in what has been described as the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, in July, 2012, a gunman opened fire in a crowded movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado with an AR-15 assault rifle with a 100-round magazine, killing 12 people and injuring another 59 people; and
WHEREAS, so far in 2012, there have been 10 deaths in Miami-Dade County with the use of assault weapons, according to the Miami-Dade Police Department; and
WHEREAS, these incidents and statistics indicate that there is a need to identify and track the number of firearms in our community; and



WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature has found and declared that a registry of privately owned firearms is not a law enforcement tool, may become an instrument for harassing law abiding citizens for their choice to own a firearm as guaranteed by the Constitution, and could have a detrimental effect if the list fell into the wrong hands as it could become a list of targets for thieves; and
WHEREAS, currently, Florida law (Section 790.355, Florida Statutes) prohibits any state governmental agency, local government, or person to keep a list, record or registry of privately owned firearms, with some narrow exceptions; and
WHEREAS, any person or entity that violates Section 790.355, Florida Statutes, commits a third degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, and may be assessed a fine of up to $5 million,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to amend Florida law to permit local registration of privately owned firearms.
Section 2. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker and the Chair and Members of the MiamiDade County State Legislative Delegation.
Section 3. Directs the County’s state lobbyists to advocate for the legislation set forth in Section 1 above, and authorizes and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the 2013 State Legislative Package to include this item.