75% of Florida Voters Support Legislation Requiring Background Checks on All Gun Sales
TALLAHASSEE — Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund (“Everytown for Gun Safety”) released a slate of endorsements and, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund (“Everytown Victory Fund”) announced support for new digital ads to help elect gun sense candidates in key Florida Senate districts. With $100,000 in support from Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund, Florida Watch PC will run ads on digital platforms targeting voters in SD 9, SD 20, and SD 39. Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund has also given $50,000 in direct contributions to the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and $10,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.
The ad criticizes Republican candidates for their failure to act on the gun violence crisis that takes more than 2,600 Floridian lives every year.
WATCH A SAMPLE AD, “CAVED TO THE GUN LOBBY.”
“Gun safety is a winning issue, and that’s why so many candidates for the state legislature are highlighting it in their campaigns,” said Charlie Kelly, senior political advisor to Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund. “We’re making it our mission to tell key voters which candidates are gun sense champions, and which candidates will continue to ignore the gun violence crisis.”
“We have made incredible progress on gun safety in Florida in the past few years, but we have so much more to do,” said Gay Valimont, volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We’ve spent years urging the legislature to pass legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales, and now it’s time to elect lawmakers who will make it a priority. We’re throwing our full support behind our gun sense champions and will work tirelessly to elect them.”
Despite deadly mass shootings and a gun violence crisis that kills more than 2,600 Floridians every year, the Republican-controlled Florida legislature has blocked bipartisan legislation that would improve the state’s background check system and help curb the state’s gun violence rate.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund also endorsed six candidates for the Florida Senate.
State Senate endorsements include:
- State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez, District 37
- Loranne Ausley, District 3
- Patricia Sigman, District 9
- Kathy Lewis, District 20
- Shevrin Jones, District 35
- Javier Fernandez, District 39