Texas school shooting reignites Florida politicians’ partisan divide on guns

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. In the aftermath of Tuesday’s school shooting in TexasDemocratic lawmakers in Florida have asked their Republican colleagues to use the remaining time in a special legislative session on homeowners insurance to address gun-related measures, such as imposing universal background checks on gun buyers.

House leaders offered prayers in response to the latest spate of mass shootings, while some Republicans stood by their opposition to any attempts to restrict access to firearms.

Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican from southern Brevard County, told reporters Wednesday that it was “completely inappropriate” for President Joe Biden to “politicize the situation,” referring to a Tuesday shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in which 19 children and two adults died.

“We should be focusing on those families,” Fine said. “We should focus on understanding what happened.”

Biden called Tuesday night for tougher gun controls and for Americans to take on powerful gun lobbyists.

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“Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone to have the courage to stand up to it and stand up to the lobbyists? Biden remarked. “It’s time to turn this pain into action.”

Fine’s response to Biden’s comments raised eyebrows.

“I have news for the shame that claims to be our President: try taking up our guns and you will learn why the 2nd Amendment was written in the first place,” Fine tweeted.

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Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Republican from Howey-in-the-Hills who is running for Congress, used Tuesday’s massacre at an elementary school to continue his push for a “constitutional carry” bill, which would allow people to carry concealed weapons without first obtaining a license from the state.

“Florida must pass Constitutional Transportation now, the (number) 1 fastest way to secure our public spaces and institutions. Also, reopen the mental asylums that liberals closed in the 1970s and get these psychopaths out of society as soon as possible. Have the Edu-crats secure our schools for once!” Sabatini tweeted.

During the plenary session on Wednesday, other members of the Chamber were more restrained.

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Rep. Dana Trabulsy, who delivered the opening prayer, said lawmakers are “once again heartbroken after yet another mass shooting.”

“Sir, words of outrage are not enough to express our hatred for this wrong done to children who just went to school yesterday,” said Trabulsy, R-Fort Pierce. “Lord, we pray that You will guide us to turn ourselves and our hearts and minds to those who suffer, including our friends here in this chamber, who are replaying the trauma of the past from Parkland and Pulse.”

Calling for a moment of silence, House Speaker Chris Sprowls noted that “we’ve seen some horrible murders” since the Florida Legislature’s mid-April special session on redistricting.

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The mass shootings occurred on May 14 at Tops Market in Buffalo, NY; at the Irvine Taiwan Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, Calif., on May 15; and Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Ulvalde, Texas.

“I know we all see the faces of our own loved ones and the faces we saw yesterday and unspeakable pain,” said Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor. “And throughout the course of these other tragedies, our hearts go out to these communities as they continue to suffer. We know very well how it looks like a community is suffering, the way they are suffering.”

The Pulse nightclub in Orlando was the scene of a massacre in June 2016 that killed 49 people and injured 53 others.

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In February 2018, a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 14 students and three teachers.

Following the Parkland shootings, Florida lawmakers quickly enacted a gun control bill that raised the minimum age to purchase rifles and other long guns from 18 to 21.

The 2018 measure, signed by former Gov. Rick Scott, also imposed a three-day waiting period on long gun purchases, banned so-called boosters and established what’s known as a “red flag” system, which allows law enforcement to seize firearms from individuals who may pose a threat to themselves or others.

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At the time, lawmakers introduced proposals backed by gun-rights groups, including a measure that would allow people with concealed-handgun licenses to carry weapons in churches and other religious institutions that share property with schools.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar bill into law last year. The governor, who is running for re-election this year, has said he hopes to sign a constitutional proposal before leaving office.

But on Wednesday, Democrats continued to express concern about such a plan.

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“What we don’t need is to move in the other direction to allow permit-less carry, which could become open carry in the state of Florida,” Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, told reporters during a conference call. briefing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. “That will cost lives.”

Other Democrats at the press conference pledged to continue pushing gun-related regulations, including universal background checks, secure storage laws, ID checks on ammunition purchases, restrictions on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and the expansion of “Red Flag” mental health programs. The Republican-controlled Legislature has failed to advance such proposals in recent years.

“We could do all of these things and not touch a single legally owned firearm from a responsible owner. It’s time to have that conversation in Florida and for America,” said Fentrice Driskell, a Tampa Democrat and House Minority Leader.

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