Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidates blame GOP inaction for Jacksonville shooting – By James Call (tallahassee.com) / Aug 26 2018
(Photo: f.duckett, AP) Taylor Poindexter, of Chicago, was at the gaming tournament at Jacksonville Landing with her boyfriend, Marquis Williams, during the shooting. She describes being injured in the rush to escape and crawling to safety. Eric Rogers, Florida Today
Graham, Levine and Gillum say Jax deaths another reason to flip statehouse blue
Florida’s latest mass shooting occurred 54 hours before polls close in a primary election in which the Democratic gubernatorial candidates have called for tighter gun restrictions while Republicans advocated for greater Second Amendment rights.
But given the dynamics of the year-old campaign, one analyst doesn’t expect the shooting in Jacksonville that left three dead to dramatically alter the outcome of Tuesday’s gubernatorial primaries.
The five Democrats on the campaign trail, in one way or another, have repeatedly said that 20 years of one-party rule in Tallahassee have left Florida in a “desperate” state.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates, from left, Andrew Gillum, Jeff Greene, Chris King, Philip Levine and Gwen Graham await the start of a debate ahead of the Democratic primary for governor on Thursday, Aug. 2, 2018, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Photo: Brynn Anderson, AP)
Sunday night, Andrew Gillum, Gwen Graham, Jeff Greene, Chris King and Philip Levine all attributed the deaths in Jacksonville to inaction in Tallahassee.
Gillum, Graham and Levine called for new leaders at the statehouse, while King and Greene vowed to stand up to the NRA and to keep fighting for gun control.
Ron DeSantis (Photo: Jody Link/online@pnj.com)
Their Republican counterparts were much more subdued in their reaction, however. GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Rep. Ron DeSantis tweeted: “Thanks to the first responders from @JSOPIO for heading into a terrible situation at the Jacksonville Landing. Thanks also to @FLGovScott for providing state resources.”
His primary opponent Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam tweeted Sunday afternoon that he was canceling a Monday campaign event in Jacksonville and expressed sympathy for the victims.
“Our prayers continue to be with the victims and their families. Please cooperate with local law enforcement and do not hesitate to be helpful in your community any way you can,” Putnam said on Twitter Sunday afternoon.
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said three people are dead, including the 24-year-old gunman, who reportedly took his own life. Another 11 people are believed to have been injured at the shooting, which occurred at Jacksonville Landing, the site of a major video game tournament. Jacksonville Landing is a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River.
Democrats running for governor quickly pointed out that Sunday’s shooting followed the Parkland massacre in February, the Fort Lauderdale airport killings in 2017 and the Pulse Nightclub shooting of 2016.
The four who died Sunday increased the body count to 75 Floridians killed in mass shootings in 26 months.
Adam Putnam speaks to a group of supporters at Bodacious Brew in Pensacola on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. (Photo: Jim Little / jwlittle@pnj.com)
“No more. These are our kids. Our friends. Our neighbors,” said Greene.
“I’m tired of hearing ‘when is enough going to be enough?’ I am tired of hearing ‘thoughts and prayers’ from those who do nothing,” said Graham.
“We need to end these mass shootings – and the only way to do that is to vote out the politicians complicit in this cycle of death,” tweeted Graham, who has pledged to ban assault weapons with an executive order. The suspect is a Baltimore resident and used a handgun, authorities said.
The Florida Legislature toughened gun regulations in the wake of the February shooting at a Parkland high school. After the biggest protest rallies the capital city had seen in recent memory, lawmakers raised the minimum age to buy a gun, created a three-day waiting period for gun purchases and banned bump stocks.
