Gov. Rick Scott signed 34 bills into law Thursday, including a slungshot bill and another requiring law enforcement agencies that use body cameras to follow specific guidelines, in relation to the shooting death of Corey Jones last October by a plainclothes police officer who was not wearing a body camera.
HB 4009 allows individual sto carry slungshots in their pockets without concealed weapons permits.
A slungshot is a maritime tool—a rope with a weight that’s wrapped in a knot called a monkey fist. They’ve traditionally been used to help sailors toss lines, but they became popular weapons among 19th-century street gangs.
The bill repeals the law that makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to carry a concealed slungshot.
HB 93, the bill concerning body cameras, does not require law enforcement agencies to use them; it only sets rules and guidelines for their use.
Regarding the slungshot bill, Ray Suarez, a martial arts and firearms instructor, said, “If a two inch knife doesn’t require a concealed weapons license why should this? A screwdriver is more dangerous than that.”
Slungshots are commonly found and sold in gift shops as arts and craft items, which were technically illegal.
Marion Hammer, president of the United Sportsmen of Florida and past president of the National Rifle Association, had told Guns.com, “This bad law is creating criminals. We should be punishing bad behavior—not criminalizing the making of craft and self-defense tools.” Now, thanks to Rick Scott, that is no longer valid.
The governor also signed these other bills:
HB 231, Motor Vehicle Manufacturer Licenses – This bill relates to contracts between motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers.
HB 293, Public Records – This bill revises a public records exemption regarding certain juvenile criminal history records.
HB 303, Unlicensed Activity Fees – This bill relates to unlicensed activity fees at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
HB 373, Mental Health Counseling Interns – This bill provides certain requirements for internship supervision at mental health institutions.
HB 387, Offenses Evidencing Prejudice – This bill revises an existing provision in Florida’s hate crime statutes for individuals with mental or physical disabilities.
HB 413, Title Insurance – This bill relates to title insurance companies.
HB 431, Fire Safety – This bill provides fire classifications for nonresidential farm buildings.
HB 549, Offenses Concerning Racketeering and Illegal Debts – This bill relates to the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.
HB 561, Organizational Structure of the Department of Environmental Protection – This bill revises the organizational structure of the Department of Environmental Protection.
HB 633, Public Food Service Establishments – This bill exempts religious and other non-profit organizations from regulations when hosting certain charity events.
HB 701, Art in the Capitol Competition – This bill creates the “Art in the Capitol Competition” for Florida students.
HB 749, Agriculture – This bill relates to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Greenbelt Law.
HB 773, Special Assessments on Agricultural Lands – This bill exempts agricultural lands from certain local assessments.
HB 783, Unclaimed Property – This bill revises several provisions in the Florida Disposition of Unclaimed Property Act.
HB 793, Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program – This bill allows students to defer their acceptance of Florida Bright Futures Scholarships until completion of religious or service obligations.
HB 965, Fire Safety – This bill updates fire safety standards for assisted living facilities.
HB 967, Family Law – This bill creates the collaborative law process.
HB 971, Community Development Districts – This bill increases the size of certain Community Development Districts.
HB 1025, Public Records – This bill relates to public records and the state infrastructure bank program.
HB 1051, Anchoring Limitation Areas – This bill prohibits overnight anchoring of vessels in certain zones.
HB 1063, Public Records and Meetings – This bill creates a public records and meeting exemption for the Nurse Licensure Compact.
HB 1125, Eligibility for Employment as Child Care Personnel – The bill aligns requirements for child care facilities and providers with federal regulations.
HB 1133, Applicability of Revenue Laws to Out-of-State Businesses During Disaster-Response Periods – This bill exempts out-of-state businesses from certain requirements during disaster response.
HB 1149, Alternative Sanctioning – This bill allows alternative punishments for technical violations of probation.
HB 1181, Bad Faith Assertions of Patent Infringement – This bill relates to the Patent Troll Prevention Act.
HB 1219, Veterans’ Employment – This bill requires state agencies and authorizes local governments to implement a veterans’ employment recruitment plan.
HB 1245, Medicaid Provider Overpayments – This bill authorizes the Agency for Health Care Administration to certify certain payments.
HB 1333, Sexual Offenders – This bill increases registration requirements for sexual offenders and predators in compliance with the Adam Walsh Act.
HB 1347, Illicit Drugs – This bill expands the prohibition of synthetic drugs.
HB 7013, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission – This bill revises certain penalties for fish and wildlife violations.
HB 7025, At-Risk Vessels – This bill authorizes the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to prohibit vessels that are at-risk of becoming derelict from occupying state waters.