Scott Powers
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham has expanded her response to Wednesday’s high school massacre from vowing to ban assault weapons if she is elected to calling on current Gov. Rick Scott to immediately suspend their sales.
She also declared that Scott’s “legacy will forever be covered in blood” if he and the Legislature do not confront gun violence.
“The time for talk was before the shooting — we need immediate actions to stem the tide of violence and mass shootings being inflicted upon our state. Listen to the children who survived this shooting and the mothers who lost their kids. I stand with them in demanding our leaders take action now,” Graham stated Friday in a news release issued by her campaign.
This release is her second response to the mass shooting that took the lives of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. On Thursday Graham declared her platform as governor would include seeking a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, as well as addressing background checks, domestic violence and mental health issues.
On Friday, following similar platform declarations by her Democratic gubernatorial primary opponent the high school from Andrew Gillum, Philip Levine, and Chris King, Graham turned to the immediate moment. She called on Scott to issue an executive order suspending the permitting and sales of AR-15s and guns like it.
“Governor Rick Scott should immediately suspend the permitting and sale of the AR-15s and assault weapons that have killed 17 children Wednesday. These are weapons of war that have murdered countless Floridians and continue to threaten our communities every day that they are sold,” Graham stated.
She noted that the semiautomatic AR-15 assault rifle used at the high school is the same kind of weapon used at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
“It is disgraceful that a troubled 18-year-old can purchase a weapon of war at all. It’s even more shameful that he can purchase one faster and easier than a handgun,” Graham said. “Instead of taking action, the legislature is taking a four-day weekend. They should work every remaining day of this session and for as long as it takes to address the crisis of violence we face.”
“After the largest mass shooting in modern American history, Rick Scott sat on his hands. After 13 school shootings, Rick Scott looked the other way. After the massacre of children, Rick Scott won’t even say the words common sense gun safety laws,” Graham said. “If Rick Scott and Republicans in Tallahassee won’t even confront the problem we face, how can we expect it to ever stop? Rick Scott’s legacy will forever be covered in blood.”
