Suing Governor Scott with ten other cities
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — St. Petersburg will join 10 other Florida cities and mayors in a lawsuit against Gov. Rick Scott over the issue of being able to regulate firearms in local jurisdictions.
Mayor Rick Kriseman made the announcement Wednesday. The preemption law, passed in 2011, prohibits local officials from taking up gun regulations that are more restrictive than state law. Local officials face a $5,000 fine and are subject to removal from office if they defy the law.
The Tampa Bay Times reports Kriseman argued that the legislature has been “chipping away” at the home rule authority of cities and counties.
The mayor said he would ban military style weapons, bump stocks and armor-piercing bullets if he could.