State Senator Daphne Campbell (D-Miami) is holding a press conference at noon today to discuss her legislation requiring mental health evaluation for anyone who seeks a concealed weapons permit in Florida. Representative Nicholas Duran, who is sponsoring the measure in the House, will also be in attendance.
The event will begin at 12 PM TODAY in front of Senate Chambers, 4th floor of the Capitol.
State Senator Daphne Campbell
State Sen. Daphne Campbell Files Bill to Add Mental Health Evaluation Criteria Requirement for Firearms License
Across the nation, mental illness and guns have collided with increasing frequency, laying waste to hundreds of lives and leaving grieving families to pick up the pieces.
Determined to put a dent in those numbers, State Senator Daphne Campbell (D-Miami) has filed SB 956, which would require the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to add a mental health evaluation component to an application for a license to carry a concealed weapon or firearm.
“My bill will require a mental health evaluation to be conducted by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist. Too many times, we’ve seen the tragic consequences of the mentally unstable wielding a gun and the innocent victims who have paid the price for the madness. This is a basic measure to determine the mental stability of those seeking to carry a weapon,” said Senator Campbell.
Currently anyone can apply for a license to carry concealed weapons and their mental health is not a consideration. “This has to change. We must do more to protect our citizens and to prevent gun violence and the many tragedies we have seen repeated over and over. When the Federal government fails to pass legislation, then we must tackle this issue state-by-state,” said Senator Campbell.
A study conducted by the University of Nevada-Reno and Harvard School of Public Health found that the homicide rate in America is 25 times higher than in comparable nations. And the most common form of gun abuse is not from mass shootings, but from abusive domestic partners. “The violence must end. Senseless deaths have to cease. Tragedies must be prevented. This bill will add a commonsense requirement to the issuing of firearm permits as a measure to protect the most vulnerable victims of gun violence,” said Senator Campbell.
Data on gun homicides and now fatal shootings are available to the public thanks to the Gun Violence Archive. You can find data on shootings that have occurred in your vicinity with your address by clicking here.
State Senator Daphne Campbell files legislation to ban red-light cameras in the state of Florida
State Senator Daphne Campbell (D-Miami) announced today that she has filed legislation, SB 630, to finally end the installation and use of red light cameras in Florida.
“In too many communities, including my own, local governments have deployed back-door tax policies such as red-light cameras as money-making ventures,” said Sen. Campbell. “This isn’t about safety, this is about improving the bottom line, and I intend to continue the fight to stop the profiteering at the expense of my constituents.”
Implemented in 2010, red-light cameras were intended to bring more safety to the roads of Florida. However, throughout the five years of their operation, the data shows that this is not the case. According to a survey from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, red light cameras have resulted in a 15 percent increase in total crashes, 29 percent increase in incapacitating injuries, 17 percent increase in crashes involving non-motorists and a 10 percent increase in rear-end crashes. Arkansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are thirteen states that have already banned red light cameras.
SB 630 would abolish red light cameras commencing July 1, 2020, as well as the need for specialized traffic enforcement officers. It would also eliminate the hefty fines previously levied on unsuspecting motorists.
“Florida should join the list of states that bans these cameras,” said Senator Campbell. “We should pass good policy in Tallahassee that helps the residents and the tourists who visit us, not policy that does more harm than good.”
State Senator Daphne Campbell objects to Mayor Gimenez siding with President Trump's Muslim ban
State Senator Daphne Campbell on Wednesday strongly criticized Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez’s decision to abandon its “sanctuary city” policy, and called on him to join her in standing with immigrants and their families against Donald Trump’s anti-Muslim executive order.
“The United States is a country composed of immigrants. They are woven into the very fabric of our society,” said Senator Campbell, who was born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1981. “We must not forget our roots. All Americans were immigrants at some point in our lineage. Miami has a proud history of extending a hand of welcome to the persecuted, the poor, the victims of natural disasters and those made by man. We cannot afford to turn our backs on what makes this city and this nation an international beacon of hope.”
Last week, Miami-Dade County became our nation’s first jurisdiction to abandon its so-called “sanctuary city” policy in response to a highly controversial executive order issued by President Trump. In a surprise move, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez abruptly ordered county officials to comply with all “detainer requests” from the Department of Homeland Security, which ask local law enforcement to jail suspects without warrant until they can be picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
Thousands of Miami-Dade residents were immediately impacted by Mayor Gimenez’s announcement. In fact, Senator Campbell’s office has received many calls from the families of potentially affected constituents pleading for assistance and answers. “This is no way for the City of Miami to treat the most vulnerable among us. We must do better,” said Senator Campbell.
Protests erupted at Miami International Airport and throughout the nation against Trump’s refugee ban. “I stand with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, and the thousands of others speaking out for immigrant rights!” said Senator Campbell.
“I strongly urge Mayor Giménez to remember his own history, and join me in doing the same and to retract his memo for the betterment of the constituency that put him in office.”
