For all their differences, Adam Putnam and Ron DeSantis agree on one thing: Florida should never pass even the bare minimum of gun control. Both DeSantis and Putnam support Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Both of them oppose the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act. And both have demonstrated such a close allegiance to the gun lobby that they earned the NRA’s highest grades — A and A Plus.

Putnam and DeSantis Received an A Plus and A Rating from the NRA for Their Pro-Gun Records

Putnam and DeSantis Received Glowing Grades from the NRA This Year. “Putnam scored better than his Trump-endorsed primary opponent U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis. The NRA gave him an A.” [Sun Sentinel, 8/8/18]

DeSantis Campaign Manager: Guns “The Issue [Putnam and DeSantis] Probably Have The Least Separation On.” According to the Tallahassee Democrat, “Both Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam of Bartow and U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis of Palm Coast stand firm in their support for gun owner rights, a stance that deeply resonates with Florida’s conservative voters who view the Second Amendment as sacrosanct. And there’s little that differentiates the two on the issue. ‘I think this is the issue they probably have the least separation on,’ said Brad Herold, a political adviser for DeSantis. And he is right.” [Tallahassee Democrat, 6/9/18]

Putnam and DeSantis Both Support Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law. “DeSantis and Putnam both support the law, it’s on othe issue of whether Gualtieri interpreted the law correctly is where they disagree.” [Tampa Bay Times, 8/7/18]

Putnam and DeSantis Only Came Out Against the Parkland Bill After It Was Signed. According to Politico, “Corcoran tried to say the bill was a win for gun owners because it allowed for armed school personnel, but NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer told her members it was a ‘betrayal.’ Meanwhile, Putnam and DeSantis both said they opposed the bill — but only after Gov. Rick Scott signed it into law.” [Politico, 5/8/18]

DeSantis Said He Would Have Vetoed the Parkland Bill Passed By the Legislature. According to the Tampa Bay Times, “Congressman Ron DeSantis told a crowd of pro-Trump supporters that he would have vetoed the Legislature’s Parkland gun bill if he were governor, according to the Sun Sentinel. ‘I would have vetoed it,’ DeSantis, one of the leading Republican candidates for governor, briefly told a reporter Monday night after speaking to the Palm Beach County Donald Trump Club.” [Tampa Bay Times, 4/10/18]

Putnam Wouldn’t Have Signed the Parkland Bill Either. According to the Sun-Sentinel, “Putnam said the Legislature and governor ‘deserve credit for moving rapidly, particularly on the two areas that I think are most important for keeping our kids safe.’ While he supported elements that would increase school security, Putnam does not support elements such as raising the age for buying rifles and shotguns. But he said, that doesn’t mean he would have vetoed the legislation. He said he’d have found a way to work with the Legislature to come up with an alternative that didn’t restrict guns.” [Sun Sentinel, 4/30/18]