The heartbreaking tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cut the lives of 17 beloved students and teachers far too short. We must take whatever action we can to prevent more gun violence in Broward County (the "County"). Most gun regulation is handled at the state and federal levels. This includes restrictions on what types of weapons may be purchased, how extensive background checks are of purchasers, and the restrictions on purchases by mentally ill individuals. This item seeks to create a dialogue between the County and state and federal legislators on comprehensive, commonsense gun control solutions. Attached, as Exhibit 2, is an extensive explanation of Florida's gun laws in relation to other states and countries, as well as an explanation of possible solutions and restrictions.
Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, 122 students have been killed in mass school shootings. Mass shooting events claimed over 350 lives in 2017 alone, according to the nonpartisan research firm, Gun Violence Archives. According to that same site, in 2018 so far (and we are only two months into the year), 1,862 people have been killed due to gun violence in America. Gun violence deaths in the United States are 25.2 times higher per capita than in any other developed country on earth. The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence gives Florida an "F" on gun laws, ranking it among a handful of states with the loosest regulations for purchasing a firearm.
The shooter in the Parkland murders used an AR-15 .223 assault rifle, the same type of weapon used in the Las Vegas shooting, the Pulse nightclub massacre, and the Sandy Hook school shooting. The weapon was purportedly legally purchased by the shooter at a Broward County gun store, despite his history of mental illness and expulsion from school due to disciplinary issues.
Although there is a limited amount we can do at the County level on this issue due to preemption, this Resolution urges immediate action from state and federal authorities and places public pressure on them to act. The five solutions emphasized in this Resolution that will best serve to prevent any tragedy like this from happening again are: (1) a comprehensive ban on semiautomatic rifles and .50 caliber guns, such as the AR-15, which are the primary weapons used in massacres in the United States; (2) a law requiring an individual seeking to buy a gun to have a license or permit to purchase the gun, with a precondition to the issuance of such license or permit that the individual must attend and pass a safety course and pass a mental fitness test; (3) a law establishing a state gun registry, requiring owners to license and register their weapons, and both federal and private dealers to immediately report all sales to law enforcement; (4) the establishment of universal background checks and a single, regulated agency for conducting all background checks at the state level; and (5) a restriction on the amount of ammunition that may be purchased and the number of firearms an individual may purchase, as well as a restriction on the modification of a weapon using a trigger guard or a bump stock.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and other law enforcement officials have called on our County to examine solutions to gun violence and to work with state and federal officials to find a solution. This Resolution strongly urges the state and federal government to consider these solutions to gun violence and to pass a comprehensive gun control package. It also serves to encourage other localities to pass similar resolutions in order to put pressure on state and federal authorities to take action.
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