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Former Senate Democratic Leader/CRC Member Chris Smith Files Assault Weapons Ban Amendment

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In an effort to give Florida voters a chance to decide for themselves whether civilians should possess weapons of war, former Senate Democratic Leader Chris Smith today filed an amendment with the Constitution Revision Commission (CRC) which, if the voters agree, would ban assault weapons in The Sunshine State.

“Since the 2016 horrific shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and especially after the Valentine’s Day tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School, Floridians have signaled their support for an assault weapons ban,” said Smith, who is currently a member of the 2017-2018 CRC and may directly submit an amendment proposal. “Since the Legislature did not act, I wanted to give the people the power to decide for themselves.”

The CRC is a 37-member organization established every 20 years, tasked with reviewing the state constitution and recommending any needed changes. Members are appointed by the Governor, Attorney General, the Supreme Court Chief Justice, Senate President and House Speaker.

Under Smith’s proposal the sale or transfer of assault weapons would be prohibited. The legislature may enact legislation within the amendment’s framework to provide exceptions to the prohibition on the transfer of assault weapons legally possessed prior to the effective date of the ban.

In his amendment, an “assault weapon” is defined as a semiautomatic rifle that is able to accept a detachable magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that is capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition, or that has a fixed magazine capable of holding more than ten rounds of ammunition.

The amendment, which will now undergo vetting by the CRC committee process, must garner 22 votes by the full CRC membership in order to appear on the November 2018 ballot.

If successful, and if 60 percent of Florida’s voters then sign off on the Smith amendment, the assault weapons ban would become part of Florida’s state constitution.

Senate Panel Fails to Adopt Assault Weapons Ban, Senator Stewart Vows to Persist

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Honoring a pledge she made immediately following the 2016 massacre at Pulse Nightclub, State Senator Linda Stewart (D-Orlando) on Wednesday reissued her call on Senate lawmakers to adopt amendments banning assault weapons, high capacity magazines and bump-fire stocks, as well as strengthening school safety zones. So far, every one of these amendments has been rejected during the committee hearings as a proposal that arms teachers but falls short on gun reform measures sought by victims of the Parkland massacre heads to the full Senate for a vote.

“This bill has failed Floridians’ outcry for action,” said Senator Stewart, whose district witnessed a 29-year old’s assault weapon siege on Pulse. “I will continue to press for changes in our laws that will deliver substantial, meaningful change. Students and parents have asked their lawmakers to do one thing, to stop enabling the spread of weapons of war and the high-capacity magazines that make mass murders efficient. Instead, we have a bill that puts more guns in classrooms. It is my hope that we can, as Senators, as a chamber, as human beings charged with the life, liberty, and happiness of our fellow human beings, be the authors of action.”

SB 7026 establishes the Florida Sheriff’s Marshal Program to arm teachers and faculty—which is largely opposed by educators and Floridians—but fails to include common-sense measures such as an assault weapons ban that addresses the core of Florida’s epidemic of violence and that has overwhelming support by the public, according to most recent polls.

The Florida Senate convenes on Thursday, March 1, 2018 to take up SB 7026 for consideration. Senator Stewart has vowed to offer an amendment that bans assault weapons and high capacity magazines once again from the Senate floor.

Florida Senate Democrats Vow to Push for Assault Weapons Ban

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Caucus promises to attach their gun safety amendments to any viable legislation

The Senate Democratic Caucus on Wednesday unanimously agreed to push for an assault weapons ban, and vowed that they would seek to attach their gun safety amendments to any viable legislation as the 2018 legislative session hurtles to an end.

“The one single thing each and every one of these killings had in common was access to and possession of an assault rifle, a military weapon of war that has been repeatedly turned on our own children and citizens,” said Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon (D-Miami Gardens), adding that the majority of mass shootings involving assault rifles were committed by individuals over the age of 21, and not every perpetrator was officially classified as mentally ill.

“So long as assault rifles like the AR-15 are legally sold in this state, so long as they are not banned, their threat to civilians will remain in every school, every mall, every movie theater, every nightclub, and in every place the public gathers.”

The gun safety measures filed by Democrats, including SB 196, a ban on assault weapons, have been bottled up in the committee process while pro-gun measures have been moving through the Senate. This week was the first time pro-gun bills were pulled from consideration, one week after the massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School.

With no guarantee that these controversial measures will remain off the table, Senate Democrats said that they are ready to file their assault weapons ban and other gun safety bills as amendments should they reappear.

These amendments include:

  • SB 196 Assault Weapons Ban
  • SB 218 Trigger Locks
  • SB 838 Sale & Delivery Through Licensed Dealer
  • SB 456 Bump Stock Ban
  • SB 1476 Firearms Registry
  • SB 400 Mental Health Screening
  • SB 530 Risk Protection Order

The 2018 legislative session is scheduled to conclude on March 9th, 2018.

Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, LWV to Hold Rally To Ban Assault Weapons

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In the wake of yet another horrific massacre in our state and as students’ outraged voices join the growing cry demanding action, the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters of Florida are holding a Rally to Support Gun Safety Reform at noon today on the steps of the Historic Florida Capitol.
Since planning the rally, the actions of many of our state legislators have dramatically demonstrated why voices must be raised. As the country – and in fact, the world – watched, the Florida House of Representatives defeated a move to debate a ban on assault weapons on Tuesday, just days after the shooting. Also watching in person from the gallery: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students.
“First, they were witnesses to the murders of their friends and then they were witnesses to a shocking vote by their elected officials,” said Patricia Brigham, Coalition co-chair and 1st vice president of the state League. “You could hear them sobbing as a contingency of legislators proved they care more about the gun lobby than the lives of our children.”
For the past two legislative sessions, the Coalition and League have supported a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.
Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Sen. Linda Stewart have introduced bills calling for these bans, but neither have been placed on their legislative committees’ agenda to be heard.
At today’s rally, dozens of students, many who have spoken passionately and eloquently in recent days, will lead the charge for meaningful change. Afterward, petitions that contain thousands of signatures calling for the assault weapon and large-capacity magazine bans will be delivered to Gov. Rick Scott.
 “We demand these bills be heard – and passed,” said Brigham. “What possible argument can be made that legislation designed to loosen gun laws get a full airing year after year, while smart gun safety bills languish? Our legislators are literally allowing our residents – our children – to be slaughtered.”
The fact that the 19-year-old who killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week legally bought the AR-15 rifle he used for the premeditated murders should be catalyst enough to move our legislators to action.
“After the latest horrific tragedy in Parkland, Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature must act now to ban military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines,” said Andy Pelosi, co-chair of the Coalition and director of The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus. “Our students and staff need to know that they are safe. The time for action is now.”
The rally will include a number of speakers, including students, Sen. Gary Farmer, Rep. Smith, Angie Gallo of Florida PTA, Brigham, and the Rev. Joe Parramore.
The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence was created by the League of Women Voters of Florida after the Pulse shooting to promote smart gun legislation. It has grown to include more than 120 local, state, and national organizations and includes such diverse groups as the Hispanic Federation, the Florida PTA, Equality Florida, the Interfaith Council of Central Florida, and Doctors for America.

Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, LWV to Hold Rally To Ban Assault Weapons

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In the wake of yet another horrific massacre in our state and as students’ outraged voices join the growing cry demanding action, the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence and the League of Women Voters of Florida are holding a Rally To Support Gun Safety Reform at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 21 on the steps of the Historic Florida Capitol.

For the past two legislative sessions, the Coalition and League have supported a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines.

Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Sen. Linda Stewart have introduced bills calling for these bans, but neither have been placed on their legislative committees’ agenda to be heard.

At Wednesday’s rally, dozens of students, many who have spoken passionately and eloquently in recent days, will lead the charge for meaningful change. Afterward, petitions that contain thousands of signatures calling for the assault weapon and large-capacity magazine bans will be delivered to Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, and House Speaker Richard Corcoran.

“We demand these bills be heard – and passed,” said Patricia Brigham, Coalition co-chair and 1st vice president of the state League. “What possible argument can be made that legislation designed to loosen gun laws get a full airing year after year, while smart gun safety bills languish? Our legislators are literally allowing our residents – our children – to be slaughtered.”

The fact that the 19-year-old who killed 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week legally bought the AR-15 rifle he used for the premeditated murders should be catalyst enough to move our legislators to action.

“After the latest horrific tragedy in Parkland, Gov. Scott and the Florida Legislature must act now to ban military-style assault weapons and large-capacity magazines,” said Andy Pelosi, co-chair of the Coalition and director of The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus. “Our students and staff need to know that they are safe. The time for action is now.”

The rally will include a number of speakers, including students, Sen. Gary Farmer, Rep. Smith, Angie Gallo of Florida PTA, Brigham, and the Rev. Joe Parramore.

The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence was created by the League of Women Voters of Florida after the Pulse shooting to promote smart gun legislation. It has grown to include more than 120 local, state, and national organizations and includes such diverse groups as the Hispanic Federation, the Florida PTA, Equality Florida, the Interfaith Council of Central Florida, and Doctors for America.

Sen. Daphne Campbell calls for assault weapons ban in Florida

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State Senator Daphne Campbell on Thursday issued the following statement:

“The tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School deeply trouble me. The time for a “having a conversation” is now. We must take substantive action to ensure that acts of violence like this never happen again. I call on Governor Scott and my colleagues in the House and Senate to support legislation banning the sale of assault weapons (SB 196/H219 in our state.

“Mass shooting like: Aurora, Sandy Hook, Pulse, Las Vegas and Sutherland TX all have one thing in common and that an assault weapon was used to kill a large number of innocent citizens in a short period of time.  It baffles me that a teenager in our state can walk into a gun store and purchase a machine of death without a mental evaluation, or a waiting period, before walking out of the store with a gun.

“How many Floridians must die before we take action? Now must be different, now is the time that we must buck the gun lobby and enact common sense solutions that will protect our children, our cities, and our state. No Floridian should be able to possess a weapon that was developed for use on a battlefield.

“Let’s end these senseless killing in our state, let’s make Florida a safer place for our children and neighbors. We have the power to make a difference. Let’s start now.”