Moms tell Florida lawmakers: You're not helping to protect kids

The day after 17 students and teachers were massacred at a South Florida high school, Moms Demand Action said enough.

More than 40 of the red T-shirt clad members of the organization formed after the Sandy Hook killings marched through the metal detectors at the state Capitol front doors Thursday. They carried 5,000 petitions calling for tougher gun regulations. Once cleared by security, they went looking for Senate President Joe Negron’s office.

Katie Kile, the leader of the Tallahassee chapter, said the Florida Legislature needs to address an epidemic of gun violence.

“We are tired of the inaction of our elected leaders on common sense policies and bills supported by the majority of people,” said Kile. “This is not a partisan issue. There’s a lot of middle ground there.”

Thursday, MDA was at the Capitol lobbying for tougher background checks. The group supports a measure to notify local authorities when someone fails one. Another bill loosening background checks was scheduled for a hearing. The group was prepared to testify against it but it was pulled from the agenda Thursday morning “because of timing issues.”

The 19-year-old suspect in the Parkland shooting used a semi-automatic assault weapon and carried multiple magazines of ammunition.

“Assault weapons were designed for war and that’s why they are the weapon of choice for mass murderers,” said Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando. "They do not belong in civilian hands."

Smith represents the Pulse nightclub neighborhood where 49 people were gunned down in 2016. He stood to the side of an oak tree in the Capitol courtyard while Kile organized her troops for the march into Negron’s office.

For two straight sessions, Smith has filed a bill to ban assault weapons, such as those used Wednesday and at the Orlando nightclub 20 months ago. He can’t get his bill heard in committee.

“Concealed carry is being heard everywhere in this Legislature but these other bills die on the vine,” said Smith. “The victims deserve a hearing. Sandy Hook's kids deserve a hearing. The 49 people at Pulse deserve a hearing. These 17 people who are gone forever, whose parents are mourning, they deserve a hearing.”

The bill is also stalled in the Senate, where leaders offered thoughts and prayers to the families of those killed Wednesday.

"Many of us are people of faith," said Kile. "We certainly support anyone who wants to pray, but our prayers don't stop with words. You can have prayers and legislative action."

But there's no indication it will happen this year in Florida. In the wake of Wednesday’s mass killing, neither the House, Senate or governor expressed any interest in gun regulations.

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Lawmakers touted more money to “harden” schools and increase mental health funding – Florida is currently 50th in the nation — but no mention of gun bans, waiting periods, universal background checks or other regulations.

The “hardening” money, according to Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, would be used to increase the number of armed resource officers on campuses and to secure the entry points to schools.

“I am asking all of my legislative colleagues to support an appropriation of $100 million for mental health screening, counseling, and training, as well as the hardening of our schools in the K-12 budget, which Sen. Passidomo has already included in the Senate education budget,” said Galvano. “It is imperative that a portion of this allocation goes toward ensuring that we have the necessary number of armed resource officers at our schools across Florida.”

Negron, after an encounter with Kile and MDA, refused to directly address the question of whether more gun regulations are needed. He did seem to think a review of the current law is appropriate.

Negron spoke of a suspect who had exhibited mental health challenges, who reasonable people suspected was violent, and who had made menacing comments that had been reported.

“I think we are all committed to the principle that a person in that category should not have access to any firearm,” said Negron. “To the extent that we can review our current laws and make sure they are providing that to the best of our ability, we should.”

James Call can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com.