Sens. Scott and Rubio Did It Again: They Turned Their Backs on Safe Gun Use

Even though the members of Congress have made promises to Floridians, they didn’t support the bill, which aims to tackle the mass shootings that so far this year have killed 281 people.

Florida’s US Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio took their inaction on the safe use of guns to a new level on Thursday, after voting against a gun safety bill that was approved by the Senate.

After long years of struggle, the Democrats finally got the support of 15 Republicans to pass the most far-reaching legislation in decades to end the nation’s run of brutal mass shootings.

At least some GOP lawmakers understood that they could not continue to turn a deaf ear to the enormous problem that the US has with mass shootings, which so far this year have killed 281 people, in massacres like the one in Buffalo, New York, and at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Stacey Wesch, the mother of a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting survivor, said she felt anger after hearing about the senator’s vote. 

“We need to elect people who will do better for us than this,” Wesch said during a Thursday press event.

The Florida Democratic Party accused Rubio of “failing to deliver” the promises he made to Floridians.

Rep. Val Demings, who’s running against Rubio for senator, said his decision has to do with the millions the NRA has given him for his campaign.

“Marco Rubio’s vote is downright disappointing but not surprising. His ‘no’ vote has nothing to do with protecting constitutional rights. It’s about $3.3 million dollars in campaign spending by the gun lobby,” Demings wrote on Twitter.

If it’s finally passed by Congress, the measure will put in place tougher background checks for the youngest gun buyers, keep firearms from more domestic violence offenders, and help states establish red flag laws that make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people adjudged dangerous. It would also fund local programs for school safety, mental health, and violence prevention.