Self-Serving Rick Scott Continues to Lie About His Gun Record in the Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2024

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Self-Serving Rick Scott Continues to Lie About His Gun Record in the Senate

Since Joining The Senate, Rick Scott Has Fought Against Common Sense Gun Safety Regulations While Backing Bills That Would Make It Easier for Criminals To Purchase And Carry Guns

Miami, FL – Rick Scott claims to put aside partisan politics, but in the Senate, Scott has continuously put the gun lobby over the safety of our communities and of Floridians. Self-serving Rick Scott opposed common-sense bipartisan legislation like the historic Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that would fund law enforcement and address gun violence in Florida and across the country.

“In the Senate, Rick Scott has fought against policies that protect our communities from gun violence. In fact, he’s pushed for plans that would make us less safe,” said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. “Now, Scott claims to put aside partisan politics, but he has opposed bipartisan legislation in the Senate to address this epidemic, putting the gun lobby’s priorities before the safety of our children. By voting against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Scott stood in the way of common sense red flag laws and enhancing background checks for gun owners under 21 years old. Florida deserves a leader who will take a stand to make our communities safer and address crime – something Rick Scott has proven he is incapable of.”

In the Senate, Rick Scott has built a long record of opposing common-sense reforms that would make our communities safer. He’s instead pushed for legislation that would make it easier for criminals to carry and purchase dangerous guns:

• Rick Scott launched a comprehensive policy plan that could have put an end to federal programs supporting law enforcement, forcing devastating cuts in federal aid to local police. [Miami Herald, 2/22/22]
• Rick Scott voted against the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – the most significant federal gun safety measure in three decades supported by 15 Republican Senators – saying he“will not support soft-on-crime policies like this.”[News4Jax, 6/24/22]
• The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act allocated $15 billion in mental health and school security funding, enhanced background checks, closed the “boyfriend loophole” that allowed convicted domestic abusers to possess guns, and created new federal statutes targeting gun traffickers. [CNN, 6/4/22]
• That same year, Rick Scott cosponsored a joint resolution to overturn regulations cracking down on homemade ghost guns – which would have allowed anyone to buy unserialized gun kits without a background check. [S.J.Res.45, 5/22/22]
• Rick Scott pushed for legislation that would’ve made it possible for extremely dangerous weapons like machine guns to be sold without a completed federal background check. [S.632, 3/2/23]
• 77% of Floridians, including 62% of Republicans, oppose the kind of permitless carry legislation that Rick Scott cosponsored in the Senate. [Tallahassee Democrat, 3/9/23]

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