Seminole Sheriff will not enforce assault weapons registry if passed

SANFORD, Fla. — Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma has come out against a proposed state constitutional amendment that would regulate automatic weapons, saying he would not enforce it.

The amendment proposed in the state legislature would ban possession of assault weapons, which are defined as "semiautomatic rifles and shotguns capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition at once, either in fixed or detachable magazine, or any other ammunition feeding device."

Anyone who already owns an “assault weapon” as defined in the amendment would be required to register it with the state.

According to a video posted by the group "FL 2A," Lemma was asked about proposed amendment by Bob White, chair of the Florida Republican Liberty Caucus.  White asked Lemma if he would enforce the provision on people who refuse to register their weapons.

(App users tap here to see the one-minute video)

“It’s not only that I wouldn’t, the majority of sheriffs across the state would not do it,” Lemma said in the video.  It's up to the sheriffs what they are willing to enforce.”

Right now there's a petition called the "Ban Assault Weapons Now" amendment, which seeks to put the assault weapons amendment on the 2020 ballot.  It needs 766,200 signatures by Feb 1. to make it on the ballot.