PARKLAND, Fla. – Parents of the Parkland shooting victims met with former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords Saturday in hopes of stopping gun owners from carrying guns without a permit under legislation.
The meeting was meant to honor the lives lost during the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School five years ago and to stop legislation they say will only lead to more shootings.
Parents like Anthony Montalto, whose daughter Gina Montalto was killed in the shooting, say that the efforts made for school safety are now being threatened because of the proposed permitless carry bill.
“I feel that this current bill will retract some of that and we will have more families joining this terrible club that my wife, myself and the other families here today find ourselves in,” he said.
The bill that will allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit in Florida continues to move forward in the legislature, even though it has received broad public opposition, including from gun rights groups.
The bill passed in the Senate committee on fiscal policy last month and is now heading to the full Senate for further consideration.