In the News
DeSantis Faces Backlash Over Gun Store Campaign Stop in Georgia
As Ron DeSantis promoted his failed “Florida blueprint” at a gun store in Georgia today, he encountered major backlash from gun safety advocates on the ground over his decision to move ahead with the event just days after a deadly school shooting in Nashville. DeSantis’ stop also comes as the Florida Legislature sent a permitless carry bill to his desk at his urging, which some law enforcement officials have described as a “recipe for disaster.”
Here’s a look at what they’re saying:
- Congresswoman Nikema Williams, Chair of the Democratic Party of Georgia: “Holding a campaign event at a gun store days after another horrific school shooting where innocent children were murdered should be beyond the pale, but Ron DeSantis seems to not care,” said U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, chair of the state Democratic Party.
- US Rep. Lucy McBath: “Governor DeSantis talks a lot about ‘law and order’, so I ask the Governor directly: What about allowing repeated massacres in our classrooms to continue is ‘law and order?’” McBath said in a follow-up news release. “What about refusing to follow the recommendations of law enforcement? Is that ‘law and order’? What weapons of war in our streets contribute to ‘law and order?’”
- Moms Demand Action Florida: “If Governor DeSantis really cared about public safety and protecting law enforcement, he’d be back in Florida fighting to keep guns out of the wrong hands and vetoing the deadly permitless carry legislation sitting on his desk,” said Makiko Felice, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Instead, he is campaigning in Georgia to pacify gun extremists. We shouldn’t have to beg our own Governor to care about the safety of our friends, children, and families.”
- Moms Demand Action Georgia: “The last thing we need in Georgia is for extremist politicians from other states to come here and buddy up with the gun industry,” said Diana Gregory, a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “If Governor DeSantis cared about law and order, he wouldn’t be proud to speak at a gun store which has repeatedly broken federal gun laws.”
- Students Demand Action Florida: “Instead of focusing on non-Floridians, Governor DeSantis should consider doing what he was elected to do and work to keep our communities safe, instead of traveling across the country bowing to gun extremists,” said Cate Allen, a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Students Demand Action. “The majority of Floridians oppose permitless carry and have felt the weight of living in the Gunshine State, which is probably why the governor knew he shouldn’t flaunt his relationship with the gun industry in our state.”