Florida man faces prison for defying ‘red flag’ gun law

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man faces up to five years in prison for refusing to surrender his weapons to authorities under the state’s “red flag” law.

It took a Broward County jury less than an hour to find 33-year-old Jerron Smith guilty last week, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported on Friday.

Smith was the first in Florida to be charged with defying the law, which went into effect following last year’s Parkland high school shooting.

Smith refused to surrender his weapons to law enforcement officials in March 2018 following an incident in which Smith was accused of shooting at a car during an argument, authorities said. He is awaiting trial on an attempted murder charge in connection with that incident.

Under the state’s “red flag” law, authorities with backing from a judge can seek to remove weapons from people who pose a danger to themselves and others. Florida is one of 15 states with such laws.

Smith’s attorney unsuccessfully argued that he did not fully understand the new law.

A sentencing date has not been set.