While U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., won’t face voters until 2022 and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., doesn’t have to run for a second term until 2024, a PAC backing more gun control has said it won't wait: It will run TV ads against them in the coming days.
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund announced Tuesday it will run ads against the two Florida Republicans along with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Col., calling on them to “stand up to the gun lobby, and pass bipartisan background check and red flag laws to keep guns away from people who pose a danger to our communities.”
“The choice facing the Senate could not be clearer: carry water for the NRA, or stand up for the majority of Americans demanding action to address our gun violence crisis,” said John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “We know background check and red flag laws save lives — the question now is whether our senators have the courage to buck the gun lobby and pass them.”
The PAC will run ads against Rubio in both English and Spanish in Miami while running ads against Scott in the Ft. Myers-Naples area.
Despite the claims in the ads, the two Florida Republicans have generally backed red flag laws.
Back in March 2018, in the aftermath of the Parkland shootings, Rubio introduced the “Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act” which would offer states incentives to enact red flag laws. Earlier this year, he also brought out the “Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act” which would create a federal task force to create a national strategy “to keep communities safe from targeted violence.” At the start of the year, Rubio also paired up with U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, to introduce the “Threat Assessment, Prevention, and Safety (TAPS) Act" which, they insist, “would help provide resources, training, and assistance in establishing and operating locally driven threat assessment and management units."
Scott penned a piece earlier this month in the Washington Post showcasing his support of red flag laws even while remaining a member of the NRA. The Florida Republican also appeared on Fox News and praised red flag laws, including ones he signed during his time in Tallahassee.
"Let’s figure out some common sense. The red flag laws. More law enforcement security at our schools and things like that,” Scott told Fox News.
