Many Democrats and supporters of gun control say the changes don’t go far enough. A recent statewide poll said 62 percent of voters in Florida support a ban on assault weapons.
FDP Responds to Governor Scott Signing SB 7026 Into Law
FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo released the following statement following Governor Scott signing SB 7026 into law:
“They marched, protested, and started a movement – but this isn’t the legislation the students of Parkland so bravely fought for. It doesn’t include key components like expanding universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and it doesn’t even accomplish what Scott himself said he would do. It was 612 days between Pulse and Parkland, and Rick Scott and Tallahassee Republicans did nothing – and this legislation falls short of correcting that negligence. Instead of setting aside his self-serving politics and taking serious action to make Floridians safer from gun violence, Scott has demonstrated once again why Floridians don’t trust him to look out for anyone but himself.”
What They’re Saying: Scott’s Proposal “Doesn’t Go Far Enough”
The reviews are coming in against Rick Scott and the conclusion is clear: after spending years opposing commonsense gun safety measures, Scott’s proposal “doesn’t go far enough” and ignores the clear calls from the Parkland students and gun safety advocates to enact meaningful legislation.
Here’s a sample of what they’re saying:
From The Washington Post: “It does not address the demand of many Douglas students for a ban on assault weapons.”
From the Associated Press: “The bill isn’t what many of the shooting’s survivors, or the school’s students, wanted — they said it doesn’t go far enough.”
From the Tampa Bay Times: “Supporters of gun control say the changes don’t go far enough. A recent statewide poll said 62 percent of voters in Florida support a ban on assault weapons. But Scott and a majority of Republicans in the Legislature oppose a ban;” “There will not be enough funding … to actually fund a law enforcement officer in every school,” the superintendents said.”
From the Orlando Sentinel: “The bill signed falls short of what Scott and the shooting’s survivors wanted.”
From Florida Politics: “He [Florida Association of District School Superintendents President Robert Runcie] adds: “There will not be enough funding provided in SB 7026, or the state budget, to actually fund a law enforcement officer at every school.’”
From The New York Times: “Outside of Tallahassee, the law might not look like much: It does not go as far as laws enacted by other states after deadly shootings. Connecticut expanded a ban on assault weapons, prohibited the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines and imposed stricter background checks on gun purchases after 20 children and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012. Colorado required background checks for private gun sales and limited magazines after 12 people were killed at a movie theater in 2012.”
