Parents Of Pulse Victim Push Back Against Expanded Gun Legislation Proposal
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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) -- If bills circulating in Tallahassee pass, you could see more guns at sporting events, airports, polling places, public schools and college campuses.
The bills up for debate next month would expand where Florida's 1.7 million concealed weapons holders, according to our news partners at The Miami Herald, can carry their guns.
That terrifies Fred and Maria Wright, of Pinecrest.
"The solution is not more guns in more places in more hands," said Maria. "That is only going to make all of us be in more danger."
The Wright's are advocating for what they believe is common sense gun legislation after their son Jerry was murdered inside the Pulse nightclub last June. They're taking their case to Tallahassee Tuesday to speak directly to legislators.
"They look into our eyes and they know what we've been through," Maria said. "They know that what happened to our son isn't right and they know they're in a position that can do something to prevent this from happening to others."
State Representative Don Hanhfeldt, of The Villages, is sponsoring some of the legislation. He believes that, in a situation like the deadly shooting at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport, if a good guy with a gun was there, the shooting might not have been so deadly.
"When security shows up and says, 'Drop your weapons', the good guy's going to obey law enforcement and the bad guy's gonna easily be identified or at least stopped, as a minimum," Hahnfeldt said.
The Wright's disagree.
"It's just going to be like the wild west," Jerry said. "People shooting at each other and that is not a solution."
Maria fears more people dying in the crossfire.
"You're gonna have Good Samaritans trying to help end up dead," she said. "One way or another, it's gonna make the body count bigger."
The Wright's want to see universal background checks to make sure that people like Omar Mateen, the Pulse Nightclub shooter, or airport shooter Esteban Santiago, are not able to get guns. However, some state legislators believe more people with guns might be able to prevent greater bloodshed.
"The gun free zones in Florida have failed to keep us safe,"Hahnfeldt said. "My objective is to have a debate and come out with legislation that makes Florida safer and more secure."
The Wright's know from personal experience the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. They don't want to see that happen to anyone else. They also believe that in a state like Florida, which depends on tourism dollars, legislation which expands where guns are allowed is bad for business.
"We're being regarded around the world as a state that no one wants to go to because they shoot people," Fred Wright said.
There are a few bills sponsored by state Democrats that would limit the sales of certain weapons and increase background checks, but in Republican-led Tallahassee, those bills face an uphill battle. The various gun bills are expected to go before legislative committees when the legislative session begins next month.
