Page 7 - 6-21-16 Tuesday's Edition

Senator Honored For Advocacy On Behalf Of Youth And Families
Lawmakers Call For Emergency Measure Banning Gun Purchases
ORLANDO --- Appalled by the ease with which an individ- ual once under the scrutiny of the FBI could purchase a firearm and carry out the worst mass killing in the nation, state Senator Darren Soto on Wednesday joined with other lawmakers to propose a tacti- cal measure to prevent future tragedies.
Accompanied by Senator Geraldine Thompson and Reps. John Cortes and Randolph Bracy, Senator Soto also called on the Florida legislative leadership to con- vene a special session to imme- diately pass the emergency proposal. If the request is re- jected, the lawmakers are ask- ing that the legislature be polled.
“As we stand here, there is nothing to stop another would- be terrorist released from the FBI’s watch list from walking into a gun shop and carrying out an attack on innocent vic- tims,” said Senator Soto. “But we don’t need to wait for the federal government to
close a glaring loophole in the safety net. We have that power to close it ourselves.”
“While many focus on ter- rorism in the Orlando shoot- ings, they lose focus on the Charleston shootings about a year ago in South Carolina. They lose focus on Sandy Hook and far too many other places where massacres have oc- curred,” added Sen. Thomp- son. “The common denominator is ready access to weapons needed for mass murders. We must address that.”
If passed by the Legisla- ture, anyone suspected of ter- rorist ties or activity on a federal watch list or no-fly list would immediately be prohib- ited from purchasing firearms in Florida. If released from that list, a purchase would only be allowed once that individual had cleared an extensive back- ground check conducted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
“As effective as federal agencies might be at thwarting
threats to our nation, they can- not monitor all suspect people at all times,” said Sen. Soto. “FDLE is here, it has the net- work and ties to local law en- forcement, and it has its ear to the ground throughout the state. Their involvement would better assure the critical scrutiny which was sorely missing in the case of Omar Mateen.”
According to numerous re- ports, Mateen, a radicalized American who gunned down scores of unsuspecting people at the gay nightclub “Pulse” in Orlando on Sunday, had been the subject of investigations by the FBI in 2013 and 2014.
Despite the federal involve- ment, no flags were raised when he sought to purchase semi-automatic weapons at a local gun store prior to the at- tack, because the investiga- tions had been closed. Mateen used at least one of the weapons in his massive killing spree, wounding 53 oth- ers, including one of the re- sponding police officers.
Senator Arthenia Joyner was recently honored with the Chairman’s Leader- ship Award by the Florida Net- work of Youth and Family Services for her commitment to Florida’s children and families.
The recognition was given during the organization’s an- nual awards luncheon last week in Orlando.
“The work we do in the state Capitol has a profound impact on the lives of so many Floridians, especially on our young people and their fami- lies. I’m proud to be a part of improving their future, and honored to receive this award,” Senator Joyner said.
Senator Joyner, cur- rently the leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus, is in her final year as a state lawmaker due to term limits. Since her election to the Legislature in 2000, the Tampa Democrat has been widely lauded for her commitment to human and civil rights, as well as criminal
SENATOR ARTHENIA JOYNER
and juvenile justice reforms. The Florida Network of Youth and Family Services is a not-for-profit statewide associ- ation representing 29 agencies that serve homeless, runaway and troubled youth age six and older, as well as their families. Their services include advo- cacy, training, and develop- ment of public policy. More information on the organiza- tion is available here:
http://www.floridanetwork.or
g/Responsive/index.php
TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7
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