A little more than six months after the tragedy at Pulse, another Florida community is grappling with the aftermath of a mass shooting. The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence extends our deepest sympathies to those who lost loved ones at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Living in a constant state of mourning due to needless gun violence is unacceptable. Yet despite Friday’s tragedy, State Sen. Greg Steube has defended his proposal calling for the open carry of firearms in many places, including airports.
But Julie Morrall, a member of the League of Women Voters of Broward County’s Gun Safety Committee, experienced firsthand the dangers inherent in Steube’s proposal.
Morrall spent much of Friday at the airport, hiding in terror with her family as SWAT teams ran through the terminal. “People were on edge. If I had had a defensive weapon on me, I would probably be dead. There is no way police officers would have been able to do their job with armed civilians [in the airport].”
We call upon all Floridians to stand up to the gun lobby and those legislators who continue to do its bidding. Adding more guns into a society that is already armed to the hilt is akin to pouring gasoline onto a fire.
“This is the second active shooter incident my 20-year-old has experienced,” says Morrall. “This is not okay.”