Florida Gov. Rick Scott says “all individuals purchasing firearms” will be required to be 21 or older, with exceptions for military and law enforcement. https://t.co/3W4rsxaH9C pic.twitter.com/hZHyjah2pW
— ABC News (@ABC) February 23, 2018
Florida Governor Rick Scott seemed content with allowing Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) to twist in the wind all by his lonesome at a recent CNN Town Hall event where school shooting survivors demanded action. Scott declined to attend the event, citing work-related reasons, but it’s likely that he didn’t want to be reminded of how he responded to the Orlando nightclub shooting by declaring, “The Second Amendment didn’t kill anyone.”
However, Scott has now joined Rubio in calling for new measures. As this ABC News video shows, Scott is calling for limits on anyone under 21 purchasing a gun, which would apply to everyone who’s not in the military. He also supports banning bump stocks (and similar devices used by mass shooters to increase body counts). NBC News adds that Scott acknowledged Trump’s proposal to arm teachers and departed in a different direction:
“I disagree with arming teachers. My focus is on bringing in law enforcement. I think you need to have individuals who are trained, well trained.”
Much scrutiny has revolved around Stoneman Douglas gunman Nikolas Cruz, age 19, being able to legally purchase his arsenal, including the AR-15 he used during last week’s massacre. An age limit may have helped in that instance, but it’s worth noting that he was also on FBI and local law enforcement radars and still slipped through the cracks. Still, it’s notable that Scott is in favor of banning bump stocks. He’s publicly withstood less scrutiny than Rubio, but Scott’s not immune to pressure. Not this time.