Florida Gov Rick Scott Challenges the NRA. NRA Fights Back
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed a bill into law today that frankly did not do much to make citizens of the state any safer. It is a largely impotent move that despite it’s lack of substance has drawn the ire of the NRA. In response, the NRA has filed a lawsuit to block this law leading to what is almost certain to be the focus of political ads in the next election or two. On the Whiskey Congress Podcast, I have never been shy about admitting that I am a gun owner, a concealed carry permit holder and a former NRA Member. Former being the key word because (as I have said on the podcast), the NRA has abandoned the safety of the American People in favor of political power. The next election in Florida will do a lot to show where the will of the American People lies.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a far-reaching school-safety bill Friday that places new restrictions on guns, cementing his state’s break with the National Rifle Association and decades of Republican thinking on gun control in the aftermath of the Parkland high school attack.
Surrounded by family members of the 17 people killed in the shooting just over three weeks ago, the GOP governor said the bill balances “our individual rights with need for public safety.”
“It’s an example to the entire country that government can and has moved fast,” said Scott, whose state has been ruled for 20 years by gun-friendly Republican lawmakers.
Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was killed in the shooting, read a statement from victims’ families: “When it comes to preventing future acts of horrific school violence, this is the beginning of the journey. We have paid a terrible price for this progress.”
The bill fell short of achieving the ban on assault-style weapons sought by survivors. The gunman who opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School used such a weapon, an AR-15 rifle.
Nevertheless, the bill raises the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21, extends a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns and bans bump stocks, which allow guns to mimic fully automatic fire. It also creates a so-called guardian program enabling some teachers and other school employees to carry guns.
The NRA insisted that the measure “punishes law-abiding gun owners for the criminal acts of a deranged individual.” The group promptly filed a lawsuit to block the provision that raises the age to buy guns, arguing that it violates the Second Amendment.
