A Florida state senator said the only thing that is going to stop “the evil” behind mass shootings is to send “thoughts and prayers.”
During a debate on a proposed assault weapons ban in the Florida legislature on Saturday, state Sen. Kelli Stargel (R) said she finds it offensive when people tell her that the kind words are not enough to stop mass shootings.
“When we say ‘thoughts and prayers,’ it’s frowned upon. And I take real offense at that because thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that’s gonna stop the evil from within the individual who is taking up their arms to do this kind of a massacre.”
It’s not the weapon that matters, Stargel said, but rather “the evil from within” that causes people to commit heinous crimes.
“But are we going to ban fertilizer, which is what they used in the Oklahoma bombing?” Stargel asked. “Are we going to ban pressure cookers, which is what they used in the Boston massacre? Are we going to ban the multiple handguns that were used in other assaults? Are we going to ban the sawed-off shotgun as what was used in Columbine?”
The assault weapons ban was briefly accepted and then rejected by a 21-17 vote during a rare Saturday session. The bill comes after an AR-15 assault rifle was used to kill 17 people on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Stargel said she is putting forth a comprehensive plan for gun control that would include raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21 and proposing mental health checks for individuals with threatening behavior.
Read the full story at The Hill
