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On eve of Pulse massacre anniversary, Gwen Graham pushes gun safety plan

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

One doesn’t have to go back much farther than a few days to find the latest historical example of mass shootings in Florida: an Orlando workplace shooting that took multiple casualties.

It wasn’t the first mass shooting in Florida. It likely won’t be the last.

As Orlando and the state of Florida deal with that shooting, the first anniversary of the massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub — a terrorist attack on the local LGBT community — also looms.

In that context of regret and remembrance, Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham advanced a gun safety plan on Friday.

“A year after the worst mass shooting in our nation’s history, Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature haven’t done a thing to curb gun violence in our state. Instead, after every shooting, Republicans respond ‘guns, guns, guns — we need more guns,'” Graham said.

Graham’s proposal would accomplish the following: universal background checks on gun sales; a ban on large-capacity feeding devices; requirements to surrender guns if one is subject to a protective order; more investment in mental health.

“I believe we can live in a Florida with fewer gun deaths. I believe in a Florida that’s free from mass shootings. I believe in a Florida where we all feel safe,” Graham said. “But to build that safer Florida, to save lives, we must act. We must pass common sense gun safety laws.”

Graham is ready for the inevitable dialogue with the gun lobby also, she says.

“I won’t let extremist groups from Washington turn this into a Second Amendment vs. gun control debate. My husband has spent his life in law enforcement and carries a gun. I respect the rights of law-abiding gun owners. This is about common sense, constitutional solutions to save lives,” Graham said.

“There is no silver bullet to stop all violence and gun crimes,” Graham added, “but I’ve heard from sheriffs and law enforcement across our state pleading for us to try. When I’m governor, we will work to reduce violence and crime in Florida.”

A.G. Gancarski has written a weekly column for Jacksonville’s Folio Weekly since 2003. His writings on politics, culture, and sport have appeared in the Washington Times, the Daily Caller, and the American Conservative. His radio and TV appearances include frequent contributions to WJCT-FM (Jacksonville’s Public Radio station); additionally, he has been a guest on Huff Post Live and the Savage Nation radio show. Gancarski can be reached at [email protected]

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