For some mothers in Florida, gone are the days when they looked forward to seeing their children come home from school.
Gone are the days when they could watch their children’s soccer games. Gone are the days when they would help with homework or pack up their lunches.
For some mothers in Florida, every day is a painful reminder of what they have lost due to gun violence. For some mothers, the fight against gun bills is personal.
Though many have other jobs and still have kids at home, more than 100 mothers with Mothers Demand Action for Gun Sense will descend upon Tallahassee to fight back against a series of bills which would expand gun rights in the Sunshine State.
Some of the bills passing through this year’s legislative session would lift “gun-free” zones for concealed carry permit holders and allow them to carry their weapons in places like airports and public schools. Other bills would allow CCW permit holders to bring their firearms to public meetings and on college campuses and another would shift the burden of proof in “Stand Your Ground” cases.
Moms Demand Action, a wing of the Everytown organization founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, intends to send a message to state lawmakers and big time gun lobbyists that these laws could have dire consequences on public safety.
“The gun lobby has never encountered opposition in Florida like they’re encountering now and they don’t know how to react to it,” said Florida chapter leader Michelle Gajda. “They don’t know how to react to real citizens standing up and demanding that they operate in the sunlight. They’re used to operating in rooms in with closed doors in secret meetings and in committee hearings that nobody attends, and what Moms have been able to do is force their agenda into the daylight, and we will be at every single committee hearing, telling them that this is not what Floridians want.”
Florida gun groups criticized the group for their statements, calling Everytown's attempt to assume the mantle of a grassroots organization taking "hypocrisy to new heights."
"Unlike these non-Florida based gun control groups; we have no paid staff, no out of state billionaire board members, no grants from the likes of the Joyce Foundation," Florida Carry founder Sean Caranna told Sunshine State News. "Our Attorney donates his time or works on a contingency basis for all of our cases and receives nominal compensation for taking time from his practice to lobby in Tallahassee. Our Board of Directors is all volunteer, our members donate their time and money to allow us to speak with one voice in the legislature, the courts, and to our fellow Floridians about their individual right to keep and bear arms for the necessary defense of themselves and their loved ones."
Sunshine State News contacted the National Rifle Association for comment, but had not received a response at the time of this article’s release.
Some bills are seeing a renewed push this year after dying in the Legislature last year. The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee will hear a proposal shift the burden of proof in “Stand Your Ground” cases on Wednesday.
Gajda told SSN the groups were focused on stopping the legislation and on electing lawmakers who will stand up to crack down on gun bills.
“We work hard to elect people who will come to Tallahassee who will support constitutional rights...who will look beyond emotional argument and rhetoric for many many years,” she said.
Still, for some parents, those bills are a harsh reminder of what they’ve lost.
“The truth of the matter is laws directly impact our daily lives, and these policies would leave far too many Floridians vulnerable to the threat of gun violence," said Fred and Maria Wright, whose son, Jerry, was killed in the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting last June.
For others like Lucy McBath, her experience with gun violence pushes her to ensure no other parent has to face the same fate. In 2012, McBath's son Jordan McBath was shot and killed at a gas station following an argument over loud music. The shooter used Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law as his defense, but was convicted of first-degree murder.
“Jordan used to love teaching me the latest dance moves he and his friends were doing at the time. I now live a life where I will never be able to dance with my son again,” she wrote in an op-ed. “I am dedicated to making sure no family endures the pain that I have to live with every day.”
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
