Miami-Dade law closes Florida’s “gun-show loophole,” but police weren’t enforcing it

Miami-Dade has a five-day waiting period for gun sales in public places, but the county wasn’t enforcing it until last year. [Robin Trimarchi/Miami Herald File Photo]

Police in Florida’s most populous county aren’t enforcing a decades-old ordinance that closes the gun show loophole. In 1998, Miami-Dade County adopted a five-day waiting period for guns purchased from licensed dealers in public places, including gun shows. But cops didn't enforce it. Police officials said they thought the ordinance was unenforceable because it’s stricter than state law, but the Florida constitution allows counties to impose waiting periods on gun sales from licensed dealers. When gun reform advocates brought this to the attention of county officials last year, the police finally began enforcing it — but it’s still not being followed at gun shows, Douglas Hanks, writing for the Miami Herald, reports.