MEDIA ADVISORY
State Senator Linda Stewart made good on a promise she made to the families, victims and survivors of the shooting at Pulse nightclub by refiling a gun safety bill that would ban the sale of civilian versions of military assault weapons and the high capacity magazines that make them so lethal.
Senator Stewart will unveil the proposed legislation at a news conference at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, October 4 at the Orange County Courthouse. SB 196 is designed to be a bill that would ensure the 49 souls lost in the massacre 16 months ago were not in vain, but instead are a call to action.
“Americans woke up Monday morning to news of another tragic mass shooting—this time in Las Vegas,” said Senator Stewart. “We have a responsibility to act. There is no legitimate reason whatsoever to own these weapons of mass murder. We’re not taking anybody’s guns away and we’re not infringing on anybody’s right to hunt or to protect themselves. We need to start getting control of the things we can by enacting commonsense laws to help prevent what happened at Las Vegas Strip and at Pulse nightclub from being repeated.”
SB 196 is intended to prevent weapons specifically designed to deliver high rates of lethal gunfire without the need to pause and reload from falling into the hands of people such as the shooter who carried out the Pulse nightclub attack. The ban would not apply to guns already purchased in Florida.
Senator Stewart added: “The senseless killings of Americans cannot become the norm for our country, nor should the easy sale of guns designed for maximum damage. Our Founding Fathers could never have conceived of today’s modern assault weapons. Military-style weapons belong on the battlefield, not in general use. Every American should be able to enjoy public spaces without being intimidated by the possibility of being mowed down by a man with a grudge.”
A companion bill has been filed in the Florida House of Representatives by Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith.
