Key Takeaways
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced civil enforcement against Jacksonville for illegally maintaining a firearm registry.
- The registry documented personal details and firearm types of individuals entering City Hall from July 2023 to April 2025.
- Florida law prohibits local governments from keeping any firearm records, and ignorance of this law is not a defense.
- Uthmeier warned Jacksonville could face fines up to $5 million if leadership was aware of the illegal registry.
- This case may test state enforcement of bans on local firearm registries, highlighting Second Amendment rights.
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JACKSONVILLE, FL – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced his office will pursue civil enforcement action against the City of Jacksonville following findings that the city maintained an illegal firearm registry for nearly two years.
The move comes as a follow-up to earlier allegations involving Jacksonville city leadership and the maintenance of firearm logbooks inside government buildings. Last year, I previously reported on the controversy surrounding the alleged registry and questions about oversight within the mayor’s office.
According to a March 2, 2026 letter sent by the Attorney General to the Fourth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, security personnel recorded personal information and firearm details of individuals entering Jacksonville City Hall and another city facility between July 2023 and April 2025.
The logbooks reportedly included more than 140 entries documenting names, birthdates, identification numbers, and firearm types belonging to over 100 individuals.
Florida law explicitly prohibits local governments from maintaining any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or their owners under section 790.335(2)(a), Florida Statutes.
The State Attorney’s Office previously declined to pursue criminal action, citing what it described as a failure of process rather than criminal intent. However, Attorney General Uthmeier strongly disagreed with that interpretation.
In his letter, Uthmeier argued that lack of intent or misunderstanding of the law does not excuse the conduct. He wrote that the statute requires only that a person knowingly kept a log and understood it contained records of privately owned firearms, not that they intended to violate the law.
The Attorney General emphasized that ignorance of the law is not a defense, stating that whether officials believed the practice was legal is irrelevant under the statute’s requirements.
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Uthmeier further stated that responsibility may extend beyond a single employee. The registry was maintained using city resources and during official duties, meaning city leadership either knew about the practice or failed to properly train and supervise employees.
The letter warns that the City of Jacksonville could face fines of up to $5 million if it is determined the registry was maintained with the knowledge or complicity of leadership.
The Attorney General’s office has requested preservation of all evidence as it considers civil proceedings under state law.
Uthmeier also warned that firearm registries expose law-abiding gun owners to risks the prohibition was specifically designed to prevent, noting such records can be used to profile or harass citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
For lawful gun owners, the case highlights why Florida law strictly bans firearm registries at the local level. Second Amendment rights are treated as fundamental civil rights under state law, and protections against government tracking of lawful firearm ownership are intended to prevent misuse of personal information and preserve individual liberty.
As this case moves forward, it may serve as a significant test of how aggressively state officials enforce prohibitions on firearm registries created by local governments.
Read the full article here
