Fill the gaps in Florida’s gun safety laws

We are heartbroken by the devastating act of evil that occurred this week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Every event like this is a tragedy, but as members of the Broward Legislative Delegation, this particular act of violence has left a brutal and lasting scar on our hearts. We want to express our condolences and support to everyone that has been affected by this horrifying act of violence.

In the wake of this life-shattering event our initial reaction must be to provide aid and comfort to the victims and their families. This week the lives of every student in that school and our entire community were shattered, and we need to be ready to assist them in any way possible. We cannot, however, lose sight of the major gaps in current statutes which allowed this tragic event and those before it to occur. The Legislature must act immediately to close these holes and provide our students and teachers with the protections that they so desperately need.

Legislators and pundits who have been misguided or corrupted by the powerful pro-gun lobby will say that it is too soon to act. To that, we say that it is too late. It is too late to prevent the horrors that unfolded this week, and it is too late to prevent the evil acts that have occurred elsewhere. However, it is never too late to take action and prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again.

A student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas accurately summed up the current situation as he reminded politicians that “Ideas without action remain ideas, and children die as a result.” For years, many of us have proposed legislation that would take the necessary steps to address Florida’s lack of gun safety measures. These proposals have been ignored by the leadership in both chambers, and Floridians have paid the price with their blood and tears. The time to act is now, and those who refuse to do so are providing material support to the continuation of violence in our state.

In the Florida Senate, a bill has been filed to ban the same type of assault weapon that was used to carry out the mass murder that occurred in Parkland. Despite the clear need for such legislation displayed this week, this bill (SB 196) and its House companion (HB 219) have remained unheard in any committee.

The weapon used in this week’s shooting has been described as an “AR-15 style rifle.” This has become the weapon of choice for those seeking to commit mass murder in our schools, businesses, and other community gathering places. These weapons have the ability to carry more rounds than could ever be required for recreation or self-defense. They are loaded using detachable magazines, which allow the user to quickly reload and continue to unleash a stream of lethal ammunition upon their victims. Let there be no doubt about it, AR-15 style rifles and other assault weapons are designed to be instruments of mass slaughter, and have no place in the hands of any civilian.

With the devastating result of the widespread civilian access to weapons of war staring us directly in the face, we find it unconscionable that any legislator could oppose an effort to take them off the streets. We once again urge the majority leadership in the state Senate to immediately take up SB 196, to address this threat to our children and communities.

In the hours following the shooting, news quickly surfaced that there were clear warnings about the intentions of the evil perpetrator of this act. Despite online threats made by the shooter which specifically stated his intentions to commit violent acts (both in his former school and against law enforcement), state, local, and federal authorities did not possess the tools that they needed to prevent the shooter’s access to deadly weapons. Currently our state statutes prohibit the registration of firearms in Florida. This means that when threats are issued, our law enforcement is unable to determine if a suspect has access to weapons that would allow them to carry out their threat. Another bill, SB 1476 by Senator Farmer, would eliminate the Florida statute that currently bars the creation of a statewide firearm registry.

The gaps in our current gun safety laws are so major and so numerous that the prospect of taking action may seem daunting. Our fellow state legislators need to be aware that the vehicles to provide for gun safety in Florida exist in current bills that have not yet been given the chance to be heard. We can take action to prevent future violence before the legislative session ends in March, and our legislators must be held accountable if they fail to do so.

It is too late to stop the horrors of yesterday, but it is not too late to prevent tragedy from occurring tomorrow. What we saw this week was the direct result of a failure by the Legislature to act. The students of Parkland suffered from that failure, and in the wake of this tragedy, they are calling upon us to act.

Broward County School Superintendent Runcie has told us that in the hours following this tragedy, students have reached out to him telling him that now is the time for us to have a “reasonable conversation about gun safety legislation.” We owe it to the victims of this horrifying event to take immediate action to address comprehensive gun safety legislation.

One of the most common descriptions of this event that we have heard and read on social media is that this was a “senseless tragedy.” That is wrong. This wasn’t senseless. It was the logical, even likely result of our failure to regulate the sale of firearms. It was the result of a steady stream of obstruction by the gun industry. And it was the result of law enforcement not being provided with the tools needed to stop events like this. What is senseless is that mass killing after mass killing occurs in this country, but we only express remorse and call for thoughts and prayers but fail to take action to stop these events from happening. Enough!

As legislators and parents, we will not rest until we can ensure the safety of our children and communities. We will fight tooth and nail against every dangerous and nonsensical pro-gun piece of legislation in the Legislature. We will not allow our Legislature to act as a contributing factor to the horrifying violence that we saw this week, and we demand that our fellow legislators do the same.

Sen. Gary Farmer is chairman of Broward’s 19-member legislative delegation.