#Florida

Across the United States, gun control laws seem to be loosening or being nixed altogether at a very quick rate. The latest news of more liberal gun control measures (as in, classically liberal) comes from Florida. The state’s House of Representatives recently voted to lower the minimum age of legal firearms purchase from 21 to 18 years. However, this time around, the law will not pass, thanks to the state Senate.

Walther’s PDP is the new duty handgun for the  Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). FDACS will use both the full-size and compact versions depending on the needs of the officer.

The state of Florida is pretty well known for its fairly gun-friendly laws. While the American South, in general, can be considered somewhat of a very pro-gun area, the Sunshine State (or Gunshine State as I like to call it) has always ranked pretty highly in my head in terms of states that have less restrictive gun laws and also a place that has a pretty healthy pro-firearms market. However, today I learned that Florida actually ranks pretty low both in terms of the number of gun stores per capita, as well as the total number of gun sales per capita, at least according to research done through the efforts of the Small Arms Survey.

The well-known and oft-loved KelTec CNC Industries is making its first expansion out of the Sunshine State and into the Equality State with the recent acquisition of a new 33,000-square-foot facility in Rock Springs, Wyoming. This new facility will be home to an expanded wing of KelTec CNC Industries and will operate with a proposed 250+ employees over its gradual expansion from the initial facility. KelTec’s full press release covering the acquisition of the building is posted below.

Kalashnikov USA had a number of different offerings this year, everything from an all-American 7.62x39mm AKM rifle to competition entries from Decedent Arms who are putting their competition modifications to the AK-patterned platforms. Probably the most important point that readers are interested in is the 7.62x39mm AKM that Kalashnikov is putting out, in addition to the 9x19mm “Vintorez” pistol. Also out is the 12 gauge ‘firearm’ that Kalashnikov USA is releasing this year for 2020. Kalashnikov also has a California compliant 9mm PPC that will be available with California featureless regulations.

University of Central Florida police arrested a student on Tuesday the 29th for possessing three Drop-In Auto Sears, more commonly known by their acronym of DIAS. Police had received an anonymous tip that the student, Max Bennett Chambers, was in possession of an unregistered machinegun.

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office has posted an announcement on their Facebook page describing a sting operation in which they cooperated with ATF agents to purchase an unregistered SBR from a local trying to sell the rifle online. Peter Chirco, the owner of the rifle even knew that the rifle was under the legal 16-inch barrel length when he posted it online, in addition to even being barred from several local shooting ranges because the range staff realized the illegality of the rifle itself.From the Facebook post-

Unfortunately, we need to add the firearms industry to the growing list of data breach victims. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the agency that processes Concealed Weapons Licenses for Florida residents, just announced that a data breach exposed 16,000 licensee’s information to an unknown source. Another nearly 500 individuals had their social security numbers stolen, prompting free credit protection services.

Various news organizations are reporting Daytona Beach, Florida-based SCCY Industries, LLC, makers of the CPX pistol line, are moving to Maryville, Tennessee in Blount County. Local Maryville and Daytona papers  are reporting that the handgun manufacturer is moving its headquarters and manufacturing to a new 75,000 square foot plant on a 68 acre campus in the Big Spring Industrial Park as soon as 2018.

Melbourne, FL based Fight Lite Industries is the current company that was formally known as Ares Defense until it was renamed. Our own Pete M. published the press release showing the MXR’s introduction before SHOT, and we got a further in-depth look at the MXR while at the actual booth on the floor. The idea of the MXR came from an operational requirement from several LE agencies in Europe following the attacks on the Bataclan Theater in Paris in November of 2015. According to the designer, officers armed with handguns were severely outgunned by the AKM armed terrorists. Similar to why Britain’s London Met CT unit is adopting 5.56x45mm Sig MCXs, is to combat the threat levels that opponents are reaching within Europe. Having a pistol caliber carbine in an officers patrol car would offer a much more significant advantage over a duty handgun when dealing with Bataclan-like terrorist attacks, especially when it takes the same magazines and ammunition. Ballistics of 5.56x45mm/.300 BLK versus a 9x19mm round against body armor aside, a pistol caliber carbine certainly solves the logistical issue.

Good news for hunters in gator country:

I.O. Inc. announced the company relocated to Palm Bay, Florida. I.O. stated in a press release that the moved was prompted by “a need for an increased manufacturing facility” and “room for an increased customer service department and additional space for a complete barrel production line.” Prior to the move, I.O. Inc. was based in Monroe, North Carolina.

Colt’s Manufacturing Company (not to be confused with Colt Defense) is opening a new in Kissimmee, Florida. From the press release …

They definitely have too much fun down in Florida. Tobias Obermeit, the Kel-Tec design engineer behind the Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol, emailed me some videos of last weeks monthly submachine gun shoot at Port Malabar. The theme was Miami Vice and Toby completed three of the five stages with a keyring camera mounted on his shooting glasses.