SUNRISE, Fla. – Gun control advocates made their message loud and clear at the Broward Amphitheater in Sunrise on Friday, demanding action on gun-reform legislation.
“I think the message we want to get out is, that we’ve had the thoughts and prayers, and I think that people are looking for action right about now. What makes this different is the fact that people are seeing the inaction of Republicans. They are seeing the callousness of Republicans and they’re understanding that they really do not want to do anything when it comes to these guns.” Sen. Shevrin Jones said.
The rally was organized by the “moms demand action” group which brought together dozens of parents, teachers, and students to demand lawmakers take more action to end the recent string of mass shootings.
“We had a chance to do it after Pulse. We had a chance to do it after Columbine. We had a chance to do it after Parkland,” Jones said.
The pain was not lost on the parents and students of Parkland, who faced their own immeasurable loss following the 2018 shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
“We worked very, very hard after MSD, and the tragedy in our community to pass a piece of legislation to keep children safe, to keep our communities safe, and to keep our schools safe. We’re here again to offer support to those around the country,” Sen. Lauren Book.
Sen. Book helped craft that legislation which she would like to see other states adopt as well.
“Look, in the state of Florida, an 18-year-old cannot buy a weapon. We changed that age, we raised the age. red flag laws, we worked and passed those red flag laws to keep our communities safe. We did it here and we can do it all over,” Book said.
Republicans already pushed back on certain gun control measures and South Florida Democrats say they plan to continue to call them out too.
“That is the scapegoat that Republicans constantly use when it comes to guns, they don’t want to deal with the issue at hand, they want to go around the issue because they’re trying to preserve the money that they’re getting from the gun lobby. I think people are tired of lip service, and they’re looking for action now,” Jones said.
Another major gun control protest is returning next month which is the March for Our Lives rally formed by the survivors of the Parkland shooting, which is happening nationwide on June 11.