Tampa Bay Democrats not backing down on Special Session for gun reform

Jennifer Webb will ser

As Democrats in the Legislature convened for news conferences in Orlando and South Florida Monday and Tuesday to condemn the Republican-led rejection of a Special Session to address gun reform, Tampa Bay area officials rallied their own opposition. 

“In talking to both women and men, Republicans and Democrats, from House District 69, there is a pragmatic acknowledgment that our policies remain too far afield from what is good for the safety of our families and our children,” said Rep. Jennifer Webb. “Grandparents and parents are afraid for the safety of their little ones. Police officers are frustrated by residents who keep guns loose in their cars and in their homes, which are later used as weapons or in tragic accidents.”

Webb led a coalition of Tampa Bay area Democrats to call on conservative colleagues to embrace gun reform measures aimed at protecting Floridians and visitors. She’s asking the legislature to reconsider a special session to address a variety of solutions.

“Today’s children and our entire citizenry deserve policies that will put the safety of our families and children first,” Webb said. 

Webb is hosting a roundtable discussion with constituents to discuss gun safety policy, though she’s not set a date for that conversation yet. Interested participants should reach out to her office for more information, she said. 

The ongoing disdain from Democrats stems from an Aug. 20 proposal from 41 House Democrats asking for a Special Session to address gun violence, which was quickly voted down by Republicans. Votes in favor of the suggested session were strictly split along party lines with Democrats, who are in the minority in both chambers, voting in the affirmative. 

Webb is part of a coalition of Tampa Bay area Democrats trying to change the tide on gun reform conversations. 

“The vast majority of Floridians want action on the plague of gun violence. As an Iraq veteran, I understand that, and I hope more politicians will soon have the courage to face the problem, and be willing to discuss solutions,” said Rep. Adam Hattersley.

Reps. Susan Valdes and Fentrice Driskell also weighed in. 

“Gun safety is a problem that warrants swift, immediate attention from lawmakers,” Valdes said. “We in the legislature shouldn’t hesitate to lead on issues that are so critical to public safety. It’s what the people who elected us rightfully expect.”

Driskell echoed Webb’s remarks, noting that gun safety is a top concern among her constituents. 

“Floridians want their lawmakers to treat this like the real life-or-death issue that it is,” she said.

The group is calling for a robust series of reforms including background checks for all firearm sales and transfers, a prohibition on large-capacity magazines, a reduction in the term of concealed carry licenses so holders must reapply more often, protections for the safe storage of weapons in homes, an increase in the number of people who are able to trigger so-called “red flag” laws to remove guns from potentially unsafe owners and the establishment of an Urban Core Gun Violence Task Force whose focus would be to reduce gun violence. 

Their proposal does not specifically call for an assault weapons ban, which has been a popular rallying cry among some Democrats.