In Florida, Republican Governor Rick Scott has signed a series of gun measures—breaking from the National Rifle Association in the wake of last month’s massacre in Parkland. The new restrictions will add a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases, will raise the minimum age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21 and will ban bump stocks that allow semiautomatic rifles to act like fully automatic machine guns. The Florida law will also fund a program encouraging teachers and school staff to carry handguns. Governor Scott did not use his line-item veto to quash the measure, as Florida’s teachers’ union demanded. This is Governor Rick Scott speaking Friday just after signing the bill.
Gov. Rick Scott: “I’m an NRA member, and I was an NRA member when I became governor. I’m going to be an NRA member when I’m not a governor. I’m sure there’s NRA members that agree with this bill, some that don’t agree with this bill. You know, but the way I think about it: I’m going to do what I think are commonsense solutions. The commonsense things, as a father, as a grandfather, as a governor, is—is we need to have law enforcement in our schools, we need to harden our schools, we need more mental health counseling.”
On Friday, the National Rifle Association filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block implementation of the deal, arguing it violates the Second Amendment.