Bryan Avila’s record as a state legislator raises serious concerns for gun owners across the Sunshine State.
Before being selected to run for Florida’s Lieutenant Governor beside Byron Donalds, Avila spent years in the Florida Legislature — first in the House and later in the Senate.
And one vote from his time as a State Representative stands out.
In 2018, Avila voted for the massive gun control package (CS/SB 7026) passed in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting.
The bill passed the Florida House 67-50 on March 7, 2018, with Avila joining the other anti-gun Republicans and Democrats who voted for final passage.
That vote helped enact some of the most egregious gun control ever passed in a Republican-controlled state.
Among other provisions, the legislation created Florida’s “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation law, banned bump stocks, raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle or long gun from 18 to 21, and imposed a three-day waiting period on firearm purchases.
For gun owners, the consequences of that vote did not disappear when the 2018 legislative session ended.
Much of this gun control package still plagues Florida today, and FLGR is actively working to repeal every last bit of it.
The worst of it all is Florida’s “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation law.
Under the law, law enforcement can petition a court for a Risk Protection Order that prohibits an individual from purchasing or possessing firearms and ammunition without due process or the opportunity to face their accuser.
Over 23,000 Risk Protection Orders have been filed in Florida between 2018 and 2025, according to the gun grabbers at Everytown for Gun Safety. A filing rate so high it only falls behind anti-gun states Connecticut and New York.
That means thousands of Floridians have been subjected to court orders stripping them of their ability to purchase or possess firearms under a system that flagrantly violates multiple constitutional rights.
And Bryan Avila voted to put that system into Florida law.
Why does Bryan Avila’s gun control vote matter now?
As Lieutenant Governor, Avila would be next in line to replace Byron Donalds if the Trump administration picked Donalds for a cabinet position.
Gun owners deserve to know whether the politicians entrusted with that authority are prepared to defend the Second Amendment when it matters — especially when their own voting records raise serious questions.
Florida Gun Rights has spent years fighting to roll back gun control and restore rights that should never have been restricted in the first place.
That includes efforts to repeal Florida’s age restriction on gun purchases, eliminate waiting periods, and end “Red Flag” Gun Confiscation.
With that history in mind, Avila’s 2018 vote cannot simply be ignored.
The question is whether his position has changed.
Will a potential Lieutenant Governor Bryan Avila now support repealing the gun control measures he previously voted to enact?
And when anti-gun politicians inevitably demand another round of restrictions after the next tragedy, will he stand firm for the Constitution — or will Florida gun owners once again be forced to surrender their Second Amendment rights?
Those are fair questions.
Florida gun owners deserve clear answers.
A politician’s record matters, particularly when that record involves a vote that helped enact restrictions Florida gun owners are still fighting against years later.
Bryan Avila now has an opportunity to show gun owners where he stands.
But until then, his 2018 vote remains part of the record, and Florida gun owners should not forget it.
The good news is, with Avila vacating his State Senate seat, gun owners will have a key opportunity to replace him with a pro-gun candidate once Governor DeSantis calls the special election as required by law.
