Florida has asked an appeals court to uphold a 2011 law that has threatened tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun regulations. Lawyers for Attorney General Ashley Moody and Governor Ron DeSantis filed a 42-page brief arguing that the 1st District Court of Appeal should overturn a circuit judge’s ruling that said parts of the law were unconstitutional. Since 1987 Florida has barred cities and counties from passing regulations that are stricter than state firearms laws. Some local governments and officials filed lawsuits challenging the 2011 law after last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people.