An assault weapons ban is a matter of public safety

What we’ve seen in the past week from Attorney General Ashley Moody is disappointing, but also not surprising.

Her comments and actions are part and parcel of Tallahassee politicians who, for more than 20 years, have done next to nothing to tackle the root cause of these mass shootings. In fact, they make the case even stronger that an issue of such urgency should be left to the people of Florida to decide —not NRA A-rated political figures who would inject partisanship into what should simply be an issue of public safety.

In recent comments, the Attorney General has falsely claimed that our citizen initiative would lead to the confiscation of people’s guns, using the example of an old rifle owned by her grandfather that might fall under the purview of the amendment.

Unfortunately, it appears here that she is misleading the public for political reasons. The amendment that Ban Assault Weapons NOW is putting forward is very clear, and has been vetted by some of the top legal minds in our state.

We are not confiscating weapons already owned. If Moody’s grandfather wants to purchase a new semi-automatic rifle capable of taking a high-capacity magazine that holds more than 10 rounds, it would be illegal. If it holds 10 or less rounds, then it would be legal.

There are plenty of hunting rifles that hold 10 or less rounds. Semi-automatic military-grade weapons, on the other hand, are not meant for hunting animals, or for self-defense –– they’re meant for killing as many people as possible as quickly as possible, as we’ve seen in Parkland, Pulse, Gilroy, and now in El Paso and Dayton.

Just two months ago, I was in Orlando, on the third year mark of the Pulse Nightclub shooting. As we announced that our ballot initiative to ban assault weapons had garnered over 100,000 signatures — enough to trigger Florida Supreme Court review — I was surrounded by Floridians across the state, like me, who have been united in an awful way that none of us ever wanted or dreamed of.

When I heard about the events of the past weekend, I imagined the many parents who will join our terrible club, who called call their loved ones frantically in the aftermath, who drove to the nearest hospital to be told the grimmest of news. And the saddest thing is that I know that in a week or maybe two weeks, there will likely be more entries to this club of loss and suffering.

These shootings are an epidemic in this country, with a record 255 and counting so far this year.

While mental health treatment and other solutions are certainly helpful, the common denominator in these killings is the weapon of choice: semiautomatic military-grade assault weapons.

In Dayton, Ohio, it took approximately 30 seconds for the shooter to kill nine people and injure 27. In El Paso, it took six minutes to kill 22 people.

In four minutes, the shooter in Sandy Hook Elementary murdered 27 people — mostly young children.

In Parkland, it took six minutes to kill 17 people, including my beloved nephew Alex Schachter.

We know that there will always be disturbed individuals who will try to hurt others.

What distinguishes our country from any other in the world, is the speed and damage which these assault weapons inflict.

They make the job of law enforcement harder to keep us safe.

They make it nearly impossible for doctors to keep the victims of these shootings alive (hence why many doctors’ groups, including the American Medical Association, are advocates for an assault weapons ban).

These weapons are not your grandfather’s hunting rifle—these are weapons of war.

The Attorney General might want to reread the amendment, and reconsider whether she’d prefer to protect and serve the people of Florida, or the NRA.