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You are here: Home / Soup Du Jour / Broward County Legislators Release Joint Statement in Response to House Republicans’ Demand for Suspensions

Broward County Legislators Release Joint Statement in Response to House Republicans’ Demand for Suspensions

Posted on February 26, 2018

STATEMENT BY BROWARD COUNTY LEGISLATORS

With recent calls for removals and/or suspensions from office, today Broward County lawmakers ask for patience and a thorough examination of the facts and circumstances before anyone, at any level of government, is publicly scorned or accused of dereliction of duty.

We have heard cries for the removal of the head of the FBI, the head of DCF, the Governor and even the Sheriff of Broward County before most of the facts and circumstances surrounding the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are even known. Given the understandably heightened emotions surrounding this tragedy, we understand that many in the political process are looking for solutions or someone to blame. But it is important to recognize that all of us, regardless of political party, share an obligation to get this right and learn what happened first so we can take whatever steps are necessary to ensure something like this never happens again.

What concerns us is that there are some who call for removals or suspensions simply to divert the focus of the efforts to protect our students away from the root common denominator of all mass shooting incidents – the use of military-style assault weapons and high capacity magazines to murder large numbers of people. Finally addressing mental health funding and examining school security are obvious solutions, but lost in the discussion is meaningful gun safety reform. Raising the age to purchase an assault weapon from 18 to 21 is a no-brainer fix of an obvious flaw in current law; but we need to do more.

In Newtown, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Parkland, with assailants 20, 64, 29 and 19 years-old, in those with and without signs of mental illness, in instances of advance warning or none at all – the one single factor each and every one of these killers shared, in these cases and too many others, is the legal possession of an assault weapon. It was this weapon of war that murdered 20 children and 6 adults at Sandy Hook, 58 concert goers in Las Vegas, 49 individuals at the Pulse Nightclub, and 17 students and teachers at Stoneman Douglas High School. These weapons go far beyond any legitimate sporting purpose and the need for self-defense. We must include in the debate limits or the elimination of these weapons going forward.

Signed:

Broward County Delegation Chair, State Senator Gary Farmer

Broward County Delegation Vice-Chair, State Representative Richard Stark

Senate Democratic Leader, State Senator Oscar Braynon

State Senator Kevin Rader

State Senator Perry Thurston

State Representative Bobby DuBose

State Representative Patricia H. Williams

State Representative Barrington Russell

State Representative Joseph Geller

State Representative Shevrin Jones

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Filed Under: Soup Du Jour Tagged With: Broward County, Demand for Suspensions, House Republicans, Joint Statement, legislators

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