TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray Florida Capital Bureau) – Friday will mark ten years since the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando. 49 people were killed and many more were left with both visible and invisible scars.
Since then, Florida gun laws have seen many changes.
Lawmakers in Tallahassee united across party lines to pass some serious gun reform, including red flag laws, raising the purchasing age and a three-day waiting period.
But, the sentiments are starting to swing back, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier saying state’s three day waiting period between buying a gun and receiving it does not comply with the Second Amendment.
Nearing a decade since the Pulse Nightclub shooting, the Giffords advocacy group, formed by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, said they’re pushing back. They argue Floridians accept sensible gun reforms, regardless of party.
Florida politics:
“The Attorney General deciding to roll back one of the most important gun safety measures that’s been passed would be tremendously detrimental and we plan to fight him every inch of the way,” Emma Brown, the executive director of Giffords said.
They say progress in Florida comes in fits and starts.
They believe there’s much more acceptance of the LGBTQ community than ten years ago, but Congress has only passed one gun reform law this generation.
“Social change in this country is uneven and it takes too long,” Brown said. “But, when it happens, it can happen really quickly. And most of the time it happens because people don’t give up.”
After the 2018 Parkland shooting, lawmakers passed bipartisan reforms like red flag laws, but talks in Tallahassee now mostly center around protecting Second Amendment rights.
“Every government office, including mine, exists to protect your God-given rights as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. That’s why we’re settling a case that declares Florida’s (law) unconstitutional,” Uthmeier posted on social media this week.
Saturday, Giffords is hosting a 10 year Pulse Memorial Panel moderated by survivor Brandon Wolf. They’ll be joined by the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Florida. The event is June 13 at 10 a.m. To RSVP, please follow this link. Location details are shared after filling out the form.
The attorney general wrote on X that it’s the duty of constitutional officers like himself to strike down unjust laws.
“That’s why we’re settling a landmark federal case that declares Florida’s 3-day firearm purchase waiting period unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.” he wrote.
In a statement, the Firearms Policy Coalition said they’re “thrilled but not surprised” the AG is entering into the settlement, though the group declined to be interviewed.
Brown said Giffords would be filing a legal challenge to the settlement, and is also encouraging Florida residents to contact the AG if they’re displeased.
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