The National Rifle Association filed a federal lawsuit against Florida's new gun control law only an hour after it was signed on Friday.
"We filed a lawsuit against the state for violating the constitutional rights of 18 to 21 year olds," an NRA lobbyist told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Florida governor Gov. Rick Scott (R.) doesn't think all NRA members will oppose the legislation, which raises the minimum age to buy a gun to 21 and installs a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases, among other measures.
"I’m an NRA member, and I was an NRA member when I became governor. I’m going to be an NRA member when I’m not governor," Scott said of the bill passed in response to the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. "I’m sure there are NRA members that agree with this bill, some that don’t agree with this bill."
The NRA's lawsuit says "This blanket ban violates the fundamental rights of thousands of responsible, law-abiding Florida citizens and is thus invalid under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments."
It also highlighted that women between 18 and 21 are very unlikely to commit a mass shooting and questioned the justification for depriving them of a right.
Earlier Friday, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action Chris W. Cox said in a statement, "The deranged murderer in Parkland, Florida gave repeated warning signs that were ignored by federal and state officials."
New gun laws, he said, are not the answer.
"If we want to prevent future atrocities, we must look for solutions that keep guns out of the hands of those who are a danger to themselves or others, while protecting the rights of law-abiding Americans," Cox said.