State Rep. Matt Caldwell said Wednesday the Florida state legislature will have a gun legislation debate next week after voting down a motion to proceed.
“That wasn’t just a ban on high-capacity magazines. It was a ban on all guns. Second of all, it was a procedural vote. We don’t pull bills out of committee. We haven’t the whole time I’ve been here,” Mr. Caldwell, Florida Republican, said on CNN.
He said that rushing through a gun bill would not be a solution to stemming gun violence in wake of the mass shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last week.
Police said 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz fatally shot 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others. The suspect was a former student of the school who had a propensity to violence, according to disturbing social media posts. He used an AR-15 to carry out the mass shooting.
Mr. Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and being held without bond.
“We need to be focused on real solutions,” Mr. Caldwell said. “I guarantee that we’re going to have a debate. We’re going to have a package that we’re going to bring up in committee next week. We’ll have it on the floor.”
Gov. Rick Scott has also agreed to push a gun bill through the state legislature after several roundtable discussions on the topic this week.
Student survivors of the school shooting have taken to pushing for gun legislation and traveled to Tallahassee to pressure lawmakers to act. After a procedural vote to debate gun legislation was voted down Tuesday, students made signs and protested outside the statehouse.
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