On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott was confronted with the state’s deadliest mass shooting since a gunman killed 49 and wounded dozens of others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo Florida governor on tighter gun regulations: ‘Everything’s on the table’

Gov. Rick Scott of Florida expressed openness on Thursday to imposing additional restrictions on guns in his state in response to the deadly school shooting in Parkland.

Scott, a Republican leader who has earned glowing reviews from the National Rifle Association, said he’d consider any legislative remedies that would decrease the chances of another mass shooting occurring in Florida — including potentially beefing up gun regulations.


Pressed during an interview on CNN to commit to strengthening gun laws, Scott said he’d given an even “stronger” signal on the issue.

“Everything’s on the table,” he said. “I'm going to look at every way that we can make sure our kids are safe.”

On Wednesday, Scott was confronted with the state’s deadliest mass shooting since a gunman killed 49 and wounded dozens of others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in 2016. Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, is suspected of firing on students and staffers on Wednesday, killing 17 and wounding at least 14 others.

Florida Playbook newsletter Our must-read briefing on what's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Cruz, authorities said, used a legally purchased AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in his attack. Asked how a teenager was able to obtain such a deadly weapon in the state, Scott vowed to closely examine laws that made it accessible.

“We are going to look at all these things to figure out what works, what’s not working,” he said. “And our primary goal is to say these kids are going to be safe.”

The fatal attack in Parkland, the 30th mass shooting in the U.S. so far this year, prompted calls from Democratic lawmakers for a tougher stance on gun violence through expanded regulations.

Republican leaders, however, largely preached patience in the face of yet another deadly shooting.

Florida Gov. Scott: School violence has to stop

President Donald Trump, an adamant supporter of Scott, made no mention of guns during a speech to the nation on Thursday, emphasizing instead the need to address mental illness.

On CNN, Scott stressed that no one type of legislation would remedy gun violence, stressing instead the need for a comprehensive approach to the issue.

“It’s a lot of things,” he said. “It’s looking at who should have guns, should individuals who have mental illness have guns. It’s not one thing. It’s all these things put together.”

