Senate Democrats Book and Polsky Push 'Florida Freedom Gun Carry Class'

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) and State Senator Tina Polsky (D) held a Tuesday, February 14th, 10 am press conference to discuss the Republican-controlled legislature's plan to pass permitless carry gun legislation.

At 10:17 am, the state of Florida paused for a moment of silence in honor of the 17 innocent children and teachers that were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School five years ago.

Sen. Polsky said that Floridians find themselves “going backward” on gun reform with the newly-proposed permitless gun measure Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would sign into law.

“I can't believe we’re about to have a bill that’s going to increase the guns in this state,” said Sen. Polsky.

Polsky was then asked if there were still three branches of government in Tallahassee.

“We do not have three branches of government.  He appoints the most conservative justices he can find from the Federalist Society. It is politics wrapped up in judiciary and it completely inappropriate,” said Polsky before adding that those judicial appointments were political in nature, not on the justices’ merits.

Leader Book, who brought with her a plaque consisting of one of the student school documents that was recovered after the Parkland school shooting, suggested the Governor and lawmaker put forward a “Florida Freedom gun carry class.”

“Make the training better. I have a concealed weapons permit. I was a victim of a very violent crime. I carry a weapon. I went to a different type of training. If we think we are so great, and we’re the Florida Freedom state, then make a Florida Freedom gun carry class,” said Leader Book.

Leader Book believes that school safety and gun legislation should be, and can be done separately.

“We can do school safety. We can do school safety. We can do permitless carry. We’ve been around this process for quite some time,” added Book.

Book closed the press conference by listing the 17 names of the Parkland school shooting.

Sen. Polsky later told The Floridian that she would like to see her gun safety measures, particularly her gun storage bill, be signed into law by Gov. DeSantis

“My bill on safer storage of guns to require that guns are locked up at all times with a trigger lock, or in a safe, that is another good compromise. It does not take away anyone’s right to have a gun, but it could prevent all of these toddler shootings, and people stealing guns, and domestic violence instances, and suicide,” said Sen. Polsky.  “We don’t really talk about that enough.”

Recently, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost told The Floridian that the proposed permitless bill was "disgraceful."