Gun control tour begins in Orlando

Candidates, politicians, Pulse survivors to speak at event

One of the nation’s highestprofile shooting victims, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, will kick off a national gun control political tour today in Orlando.

Called The Vocal Majority Tour, the free event in Orlando will feature candidates, politicians and victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando. It is organized by Giffords’ group, Americans for Responsible Solutions.

“Obviously the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history occurred here at Pulse,” said Giffords’ husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly. “We feel a connection with the community because of that. Gabby was victim of a mass shooting, so we do feel a deep connection with Orlando.”

Both gun control and gun rights have become more central political issues during this election cycle following the Pulse shooting and subsequent effort by Democrats in Congress to push for universal background checks. As a result of the shooting, the Pride political committee organized with primarily gay and lesbian members who favor new gun safety measures. And both the National Rifle Association and Americans for Responsible Solutions saw donations rise following the June 12 massacre in Orlando and a related call for greater gun control.

The tour that started today got its name from organizers because a majority of voters favor laws that would prohibit gun sales to terrorists, according to Pew Research, but Congress has not supported such measures due to concerns about protecting Second Amendment rights and issues related to people being placed on the national no-fly list.

“The terror-gap bill failed,” said Kelly, who said he owns a number of guns. “That’s why we need to elect people who will take steps to keep our communities safer.”

The group said it was focusing on Florida and other swing states leading up the the general election. Nationally, gun policy ranks fifth among voters’ concerns — up from 13th place four years ago in

Pew Research Center polls. Experts cite the mass shooting in Orlando, in which 49 people were killed, among the reasons for the renewed interest in an old issue.

In Florida, he added, elected officials should champion universal background checks to help keep guns away from gang members and others who can now purchase them at gun shows or online. He also described Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows the use of guns in self-defense, as troubling.

Speakers slated for today include: Giffords and Kelly, cofounders of Americans for Responsible Solutions Political Action Committee; Angel Colon, Pulse survivor; Val Demings, candidate for Florida’s 10th Congressional District; Carlos Guillermo Smith, candidate for Florida’s House District 49; and Chad Griffin, president of Human Rights Campaign.

Demings’ Republican opponent, Thuy Lowe, said the rally is interesting, and she might try to attend, but she supports people’s Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms rather than trying to restrict gun sales.

“I believe the process right now is pretty strict to get a gun,” Lowe said. “If people want to hurt people, they’re going to find a way to do it. Just look at the Boston bomber.”

Firearms debates have become increasingly partisan. In 1990, for instance, the NRA contributed about a third of its support nationally to Democrats, but this year has funded Republicans almost exclusively, according to an analysis by OpenSecrets.org, a nonpartisan group.

The tour continues in upcoming days with stops in West Palm Beach and Miami on Wednesday, St. Petersburg on Thursday and Tallahassee on Friday.