Just as last week’s tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut reignite the national debate over gun control, Florida will soon issue its one-millionth concealed weapons permit. And that has gun control advocates worried that what happened in Connecticut could more easily happen in the Sunshine State.
Some Florida politicians are calling for bans on assault weapons. Others want to see more people armed.
Republican State Representative Dennis Baxley says schools should not be gun-free zones any longer. Baxley is the same legislator who sponsored the Stand Your Ground Law. He says schools would be safer if teachers and principals were authorized to carry guns.
Former GOP Senator George Lemieux saying more citizens being armed might not be a bad thing.
"In states where people have the ability to carry a concealed weapon, violence could be down because it's a deterrent," says Lemieux.
But South Florida Congresswoman and DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz believes just the opposite.
"It is far too easy to get a weapon in the state of Florida, “ said Wasserman-Schultz during an interview with WFOR-TV in Miami. “And it makes this kind of gun violence more likely."
Both of Florida's U.S. senators say they support the Second Amendment. But through a spokesperson, Republican Senator Marco Rubio says he's always been open to measures that would keep guns away from criminals and mentally ill people.
And Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, also speaking through a spokesperson, notes he's voted in the past to ban weapons such as AK-47s.
