As expected, Florida Governor Rick Scott released a statement detailing his measure to combat future attacks such as the Parkland shooting from happening. In his “major action plan to keep Florida students safe,” Governor Scott explained that $500 million dollars will be allocated for mental health and school safety initiatives.
After remembering the 17 students who lost their lives, Governor Scott explained that “This week we asked law enforcement leaders, education leaders, and health leaders from all over the state to drop what they were doing, clear their schedules, and immediately get up to Tallahassee for urgent conversations about what we can – and must do – to make our schools and communities safer.”Then, he went on to detail his plan of action by explaining that he wants “to create a new program in Florida – I call it the Violent Threat Restraining Order. This concept is very simple, and very common sense in my view. This will allow a court to prohibit a violent or mentally ill person from purchasing or possessing a firearm or any other weapon when either a family member, community welfare expert or law enforcement officer files a sworn request, and presents evidence to the court of a threat of violence involving firearms or other weapons. There would be speedy due process for the accused and any fraudulent or false statements would face criminal penalties.”
In addition, he called for strengthening “gun purchase and possession restrictions for mentally ill individuals under the Baker Act. If a court involuntarily commits someone because they are a risk to themselves or others, they would be required to surrender all firearms and not regain their right to purchase or possess a firearm until a court hearing. We are also proposing a minimum 60-day period before individuals can ask a court to restore access to firearms. Also, we will require all individuals purchasing firearms to be 21 or older.”
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However, he did mention that “there will be exceptions for active duty and reserve military and spouses, National Guard members, and law enforcement.”
Then, he outlined that “we will prohibit a person from possessing or purchasing a firearm if they are subject to an injunction for protection against stalking, cyberstalking, dating violence, repeat violence, sexual violence, or domestic violence. We will establish enhanced criminal penalties for threats to schools, like social media threats of shootings or bombings. We will also enhance penalties if any person possesses or purchases a gun after they have been deemed by state law to not have access to a gun. And, we will completely ban the purchase or sale of bump stocks.”
His full statement can be read below:There is nothing more important than to do all we can to make sure a horrific and evil act like the Parkland shooting never happens again. https://t.co/4KQKbx0PoO pic.twitter.com/wFU0cmRWqz
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) February 23, 2018