Guns N’ Death (No Roses): That Was A Mother’s Day Message From Governor Ron

While I was enjoying my Mother’s Day in New York this weekend, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, aka Meatball Ron, was in Iowa, delivering a deadly message to moms.

WTF Ron DeSantis?

Sioux Center, Iowa. That’s where DeSantis was, — 1,320 miles from his own state —at a picnic, gathering endorsements for his presidential run. That’s still to be formally announced, by the way, even though Ron is clearly bringing his “Make-America-Florida” mantra to pivotal election states like Iowa, even as we speak.

How? By patting himself on the back for ramming the toughest abortion ban ever into law, and loosening gun control laws in Florida to allow concealed-carry of firearms without a permit. Both laws are guaranteed to bring tragedy, grief and death to mothers in his “sunshine” state.

Turning Back The Clock

Over the last few weeks, anyone who’s been paying attention has heard mothers testifying before Congress as to how a 6-week abortion ban brought them to the brink of death. They told how they had to wait —and wait— and wait while miscarrying unviable fetuses and developing body-ravaging sepsis before a doctor could or would help them. 

They described a barbaric state of affairs more reminiscent of medieval times, but accomplished in the 21st century by Republican (mostly) male lawmakers and governors like DeSantis. 

If not stopped, these misogynistic, wannabe autocrats will turn the clock back, maybe  not to medieval times, but almost certainly to the days of the Wild West. DeSantis, for example, made it clear to his Republican supermajority in the Florida legislature that he would sign off on a bill allowing open carry of firearms without a permit — just like Texas has. 

But, as obsequious as those Florida republican lawmakers are, even they balked at the thought of swaggering jerk-offs displaying Glocks and revolvers in their waistbands, terrorizing women and children in malls and on public streets.

Constitutional Carry Of Weapons in Florida

As it is, Floridians can now carry a firearm concealed on their person or in  their car without a permit, and without having had a background check or safety instruction in the use of their weapon. In states like Texas, mass shootings (defined where four or more people are fatalities) are pretty much the order of the day.

In fact, by the time DeSantis signed his permitless concealed-carry into law, there had already been 199 mass shootings in the U.S. since the beginning of the year. Just the week before, mass shootings had claimed the lives of eight people including two children in a shopping mall in Allen, Texas, and  five people including three children who were blasted to death in Cleveland, Texas.

Florida Mass Shootings

Florida, of course, has had its own mass shootings in numbers which have, by far, surpassed those mentioned above. In February, 2018, a shooting by a teenager with an AR-15 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland resulted in the deaths of 17 students and teachers, and injured 17 others. In June 2016, a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando led to the  deaths of 49 clubgoers and wounded 53 more.

Still and all, that doesn’t sway Ron DeSantis. He glosses over the tears and grief of the mothers and fathers whose children died in the mass shootings. In fact, in his book, he says that he would have vetoed the bill signed by his predecessor Rick Scott, right after the Parkland shooting. That bill raised the minimum age for purchasing firearms from 18 to 21.

Does Ron DeSantis Even Care? You Judge

Listen to him, in his own words: Below, I’ve reprinted what DeSantis — incredibly– wrote in Chapter 8 of his book, The Courage to Be Free,  about the aftermath of the Parkland High School mass shooting:

“The Florida Legislature responded to the tragedy by enacting a series of firearms restrictions, which my predecessor signed into law. I campaigned saying that I would have vetoed those restrictions on Second Amendment and constitutional due process grounds.

“This was a tough position to take, as it was a very emotional time, and there was a natural human desire to “do something.” But when it comes to fundamental rights, those times are the times when defending them is so essential.”

Yes. You heard that right. Natural human desire to do something, be damned. DeSantis wouldn’t have done anything to tighten gun laws if he had been governor because his view is that a 19-year old has a fundamental right to buy and tote an assault rifle through the streets of Florida. And, if he brings that AR-15 into a schoolyard, well that’s someone else’s fault.

Ponder on that, people. In the face of a massacre of school kids, DeSantis was not going to revisit his thinking because, hey, the rights of a gun-toting teenager are sacrosanct. That’s not courage, in my opinion. That’s an inability to respond to a crisis that’s laying death at your doorstep. That’s intransigent ignorance.

All I can say right now is that I’m happy I’m not a Floridian. And as for that DeSantis “make-America-Florida” slogan?

Thank you, but no. NO. NO. NEVER. EVER.