OUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMAN REFUSE TO SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE GUN LEGISLATION
In the state where the Parkland and Pulse nightclub mass murders occurred, in a state where tens of thousands of citizens in multiple cities took to the streets this month demanding sensible gun laws (the Treasure Coast March for Our Lives event was in Stuart), you'd think St. Lucie County's representatives in the U.S. Congress -- Sen. Marco Rubio, Sen. Rick Scott, and Rep. Brian Mast -- would say "yes" to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the gun safety bill that even conservative senators including Mitch McConnell, Joni Ernst, John Cornyn, and Lindsey Graham supported, and Pres. Biden signed into law last week.
You'd be outraged -- but probably not surprised -- to learn that our Florida congressional delegation decided that not even the most minimal response to the recent gun atrocities in Uvalde and Buffalo was worth jeopardizing their NRA support.
The bipartisan gun legislation that Rubio, Scott, and Mast would not support includes many significant, smart, and popular actions:
Expanding the background check system for prospective gun buyers under the age of 21, giving authorities up to 10 business days to examine juvenile and mental health records.
Setting aside millions of dollars so states can fund intervention programs, such as mental health and drug courts, and carry out red flag laws that allow authorities to temporarily confiscate guns from any person found by a judge to be too dangerous to possess them.
Pouring more federal money into mental health resources in communities and schools across the country.
Setting aside millions for school safety.
Toughening laws against the trafficking of guns and straw purchasing (the practice of buying a gun on behalf of someone barred from purchasing one).
Including serious or recent dating partners in a ban on domestic abusers buying firearms, tightening what is known as the "boyfriend loophole."
Americans should not fear attending religious services, going to the supermarket or mall, taking a course on a college campus, or enjoying a movie or a live concert out of concern that they will be at the site of our country's next mass shooting. And above all, we should not have to fear for our children's safety after we drop them off at school. The new law is not perfect, but it represents the first meaningful federal action on gun violence in 30 years. As Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted for the bill, said: "The highest priority, by far, by far, is trying to reduce the shootings of children in America, particularly the mass shootings. This bill, I believe, will help in that regard. Will it stop them? Of course not, but will it make a difference? I believe so. And for me, that's enough."
For Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, and Brian Mast, reducing gun violence was not enough to overcome their fear of the NRA. And that is shameful.
This fall, Sen. Rubio and Rep. Mast will be on the ballot seeking reelection. We should reject their cowardice and misplaced priorities; we should replace Rubio with Val Demings, and Mast with Corinna Balderramos Robinson, responsible and truthful Democratic candidates who both support reasonable and effective gun legislation.
Ellis Bromberg