Gwen Graham pushes gun law reform, vows to turn ‘anguish into action’

On Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Gwen Graham pitched what her campaign calls “common sense” gun law reforms in the wake of Wednesday’s massacre at a Parkland, Florida high school.

Primary among the reforms: Comprehensive universal background checks on gun sales, banning large-capacity feeding devices, seizing guns from abusers, investing in mental health and ensuring the mentally ill can’t keep or buy guns.

“Strengthening background checks, ban[ning] large capacity ammunition clips, removing guns from domestic abusers and ban[ning] assault weapons would save lives in our state,” Graham said. “As a mother, I will not be silent. As governor, I will turn our anguish into action.”

“I expect Republicans will attack me for talking about real proposals that would save lives today, but as a mother, I will not be silent. As a mother, I will speak out for the children who lost their lives, for the teachers who heroically acted to save lives, for the first responders who rush into dangerous situations every day, and for the families in unspeakable pain this morning,” Graham said.

Graham noted that Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam had “expanded the state’s concealed weapons license program to be the largest in the country — he’s expedited almost 100,000 permits. But more guns on Florida’s streets have not made our children safer. Not one of those guns permitted by Putnam prevented yesterday’s slaughter.”

Putnam, who declared himself an “NRA Sellout” earlier in the campaign, backs SB 740, which would require the granting of a concealed-weapons permit within 90 days of application, regardless of whether a background check was completed.

In the wake of the mass murder in Parkland, Putnam has urged a temporary postponement of consideration of the bill.

“Florida’s gun laws are a joke riddled with loopholes that let dangerous people get guns and inflict serious harm, like yesterday’s horrific mass shooting and on the streets of too many communities every single day,” Graham said. “Instead of taking real action to make our state safer, the politicians in Tallahassee want to allow open carry and to actually weaken penalties for those who violate the state’s already weak laws.”