Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Step Up to Protect Post-Parkland Bipartisan Legislation; Lawmakers Fail to Take Action on Legislation that Could Have Helped Prevent FSU Shooting

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, the Florida chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements after Florida’s legislative session came to a close on Friday. For the second year in a row, Florida extremist lawmakers attempted to roll-back the bipartisan progress made following the devastating mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. In response, Republican lawmakers and then-Governor Rick Scott took bipartisan action, raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. Thanks to overwhelming opposition led by gun safety advocates across the state, callous attempts to pass legislation that would have lowered the firearm purchasing age back down from 21 to 18 – the very policy that could have prevented the shooting in Parkland – failed, with Democrats and Republicans rejecting the legislation. 

Of note, people aged 18 to 20 are three times more likely to commit gun homicides than those 21 and older. After the mass shooting at FSU, lawmakers should have sprung into action. Instead, lawmakers failed to pass – or even introduce – any meaningful gun safety legislation, such as a strengthened secure storage law that could have prevented the shooting at FSU.

“In response to the shooting that happened on my campus, politicians had an opportunity to meet thoughts and prayers with action — and they failed,” said Sami Mason, vice president of the Florida State University chapter of Students Demand Action. “I’m incredibly proud of the work gun safety advocates did this session to stop dangerous rollbacks of bipartisan legislation, but I’m frustrated that we’re still fighting just to hold the line. We will keep showing up and fighting for a safer, better future.”

“After yet another tragedy, our lawmakers had a choice: protect our children or protect the gun lobby. They had a clear opportunity to pass basic, common-sense gun safety laws like secure storage, and once again, they did nothing,” said Wendy Lau Tenn, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “This session made one thing clear: we will never stop fighting for laws and leaders that put the safety of our children first—and we will do everything we can to stop dangerous, extremist agendas. Floridians are watching, and we won’t forget who chose to stand by and do nothing.”

Instead of attempting to roll back life-saving protections, lawmakers should be strengthening them, starting with expanding Florida’s child access prevention (CAP) law into a comprehensive secure storage law. Currently, gun owners are only required to store loaded firearms securely if someone under 16 is likely to access them. Criminal penalties for violating this law only apply if a person under 16 actually gains access to the loaded, unsecured firearm and then possesses or displays the firearm in a public place or in a threatening manner. This is not enough; Florida needs comprehensive secure storage laws focused on preventing all unauthorized access to firearms.  

The FSU shooter was 20 years old. The current law wouldn’t hold his stepmom accountable if her failure to securely store her handgun resulted in his gaining access. That gap puts the whole state at risk. At the very least, lawmakers should work to ensure that people who are too young to legally purchase a gun can’t gain unauthorized access to firearms.

In an average year, 3,108 people die by guns in Florida. With a rate of 13.7 deaths per 100,000 people, Florida has the 33rd-highest rate of gun deaths in the US. Gun violence costs the state $40.3 billion each year, of which $875.9 million is paid by taxpayers. More information on gun violence in Florida is available here.