Representative Margaret Good Joins in Call for Special Session to Address Gun Violence in Florida

Members of the Florida House Democratic caucus announce their call for a special session to address the epidemic of gun violence in our state. By Florida law, if letters requesting a special session are sent to the Secretary of State by 20% of members of the legislature, then a poll of the entire body is conducted. Three-fifths of both chambers must vote yes in the poll for a special session to be called in this manner. As of early this afternoon, more than 20% of members have sent letters. The majority of Floridians want to see common-sense reforms to our state’s gun laws, but year after year the legislature refuses to take the action necessary to save lives. Members of the House Democratic caucus consistently file bills to improve our gun laws, but they rarely receive a committee hearing, quietly failing without ever garnering the attention and discussion this issue deserves.

Representative Margaret Good issued the following statement,

“Today I joined my colleagues in the Florida House to call for a special legislative session to address the scourge of gun violence. Whether it’s in the Florida Legislature or U.S. House, we have the opportunity to stand up to the gun lobby and enact commonsense legislation that has broad public support from both Democrats and Republicans. We must take action now to curb gun violence and save lives.”

The requested special session would be for the purpose of considering proposals to:

• Require background checks for the transfer of all firearms;
• Prohibit the sale, transfer or possession of large capacity magazines;
• Reduce the duration of licenses required to carry concealed firearms;
• Revise requirements for the safe storage of weapons in the home;
• Expand the number of individuals that can petition a court for a risk-protection order where a gun owner is believed to be a risk to themselves or others;
• Establish an Urban Core Gun Violence Task Force focused on reducing day-to-day gun violence.