The possibility of stricter gun laws cast a shadow on this weekend's Florida Gun Show in Tampa.
- Thousands attend Florida Gun Show
- Gov. Rick Scott has outlined a plan for tightening gun laws
On Friday, Gov. Rick Scott outlined a plan for tightening gun laws to the Florida Legislature.
The plan includes raising the age on gun sales to 21, banning the sale of bump-stock attachments, and keeping people who have been involuntarily hospitalized for mental health issues from owning a gun.
"Change needs to happen," said Jason Walker, a gun owner. "I don't see why not try something, because doing nothing is not working."
Eric Oyola, a gun show vendor and owner of Class 3 Outbreak disagrees with Gov. Scott's proposal.
"They're just taking the rights from the law-abiding citizens because of people who are going to do it anyways," he said.
Garrett Harkins, 18, says he's a second amendment right supporter and gun owner himself, but feels that owning a high-powered rifle at his age is not necessary.
"I don't think that I should be able to walk into a gun shop and walk out the same day with these federal laws, and take home an AR-15," he said.
A big source of discussion from gun show attendees was the question of if the government can succeed in keeping guns from falling into the wrong hands.
"It's going to be a hard thing to do because people at any time can flip out, whether they're under the radar or not," Walker said.
On Saturday, the Florida Gun Show had more than 7,000 visitors, while thousands more attended on Sunday. The firearms safety classes were also packed.
The Florida Gun show had an event scheduled for March 17-18 in Fort Lauderdale, but at the request of city officials that event has been canceled.
The show will go on as planned next weekend in Lakeland.