Gov. Ron DeSantis is once again declaring that Florida won’t go along with a directive from the Biden administration, this time in regard to the advisory on gun violence announced this week by U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy.
Murthy, the nation’s top doctor, declared gun violence a public health crisis on Tuesday and released a 39-page report called “Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America.” In it, he reports how gun-related injuries have become the leading cause of death for children and adolescents since 2020, surpassing motor vehicle crashes, cancer, drug overdoses, and poisoning.
Murthy’s advisory lists specific policy changes, including some that would require congressional approval. But it was met with a resounding No by DeSantis.
“During COVID, unelected bureaucrats used ‘public health’ as a pretext to deprive citizens of their rights — and I signed legislation to protect Floridians from government overreach,” the governor posted on X on Wednesday afternoon. “Now, Biden’s Surgeon General is attempting to violate the Second Amendment through the ‘public health’ bureaucracy. “
“We will not comply,” DeSantis added. “Florida will always reject the Biden Administration’s unconstitutional power-grabs.”
Among the policy changes Murthy listed are universal background checks, expanding purchaser licensing laws, banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use, and creating safer conditions in public places related to firearm use and carry.
In 2022, 48,204 people in the United States died from firearm-related injuries, including suicides, homicides, and unintentional deaths. That’s 8,000 more lost lives than in 2019 and more than 16,000 more lives lost since 2010, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Second Amendment advocates consider Desantis’ record on guns as mixed. While they applaud his signing legislation last year to allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit, they remain unhappy that he has not pushed for the Legislature to pass an “open carry” law, despite publicly saying that he supported it.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and X.
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jimandlope
Typical DeSantis in that he loathes legitimate medical advice unless it comes from our, “quack,” Florida Surgeon General. Rather than considering the advisement he would rather pander to the gun lobby and declare any gun rights initiative more important than Floridians’
health. Pitiful Ron. Jim Tierney
Friday, June 28, 2024 Report this
Rlasunto
The Republicans are always screaming about gun rights, yet they have banned guns within a half mile of their convention in Milwaukee. Wisconsin has protected gun owners rights by constitution we allow open carry
In fact a man shot 3 unarmed protesters at a George Floyd demonstration and was declared to be self defense. But Wisconsin is allowing the Republicans to violate the law..that’s next for DeSantimonius.
Saturday, June 29, 2024 Report this