The Florida chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroot networks, released the following statement in response to a shooting in Lakeland, Florida yesterday afternoon. According to reports, ten people were wounded in a drive by shooting.
“Our hearts go out to all of those impacted by this shooting. It is hard not to recognize that just hours after Governor DeSantis and his Republican supporters announced they will work to pass permitless carry in our state, our community was met with another senseless act of gun violence,” said Wendy Malloy, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This has been a violent start to the year and this is not time for lawmakers to make it easier for people to carry loaded guns in public with no questions asked.
Just yesterday, Governor DeSantis and other lawmakers publicly committed themselves to passing permitless carry this year. Permitless carry legislation would allow people to carry concealed handguns in public places without a permit, criminal history check, or safety training, dismantling Florida’s system of responsible gun ownership. Instead of pushing dangerous policies that can make communities less safe, Florida lawmakers should be working to pass programmatic solutions to address the violence, such as bipartisan proposals to fund life saving community violence intervention programs across the state.
In an average year over 2,800 people are killed by guns in Florida, and over 5,200 more are shot and wounded. Gun violence costs Florida $40.3 billion each year, of which $875.9 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Florida is available here.
