Rick Scott was to be a headline speaker at this
year’s NRA's 2018 Leadership Forum in Dallas. As of 2/19, days after the deadly Parkland shooting, Rick’s ugly mug was still featured on the site as a speaker. I suppose he had a sudden realization that being pro-school-shooter/terrorist isn’t exactly a winning electoral strategy in today’s climate, because his mug is no longer there. (The forum is now so toxic that even the Dallas mayor doesn’t want it.) It might have had something to do with this viral tweet from Wesley Jordan:
My pure speculation: the NRA KNOWS they are toxic, and gave him permission to drop out to help his chances in November. They know he will do their bidding as always.
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After all, on the front page of NRA.org, he is the only governor featured for signing more pro-gun bills in a term than any other in history. It’s quite something to be “honored” for allowing an expelled 19-year old with obvious mental health issues to get a deadly military-grade assault rifle along with smoke grenades and a high-capacity clip with no questions asked. Well done, Rick.
It’s great to follow my good friend Donald Trump. He is going to do a great job believed[sic] in the Second Amendment.
The rest of the nation was introduced to Rick Scott’s NRA sickness during this infamous exchange with an exasperated Soledad O’Brien on CNN. Scott was obviously given two talking points by the NRA after Sandy Hook, because he couldn't stop repeating them:
He refused to take any legislative action after kindergartners were slaughtered—so why would he do anything different with a high school?
In fact, less than ONE DAY after the Parkland shooting, he was going to sign a bill for weakened background checks—which was hidden inside a f-ing AGRICULTURE BILL!! (Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is the likely GOP candidate for Florida in 2018, was the one responsible for putting it there as a pure face-sucking move to the NRA. It was on pgs 88-90 of a 98-page bill that discussed things like oyster harvesting and water vendors.)
To give you a taste of how Rick Scott turned our state into a kill zone, here is an abbreviated list provided by the OrlandoWeekly:
2011: Rick Scott signed preemption legislation, prohibiting localities from regulating firearms and ammunition. Cities and counties were forced to allow guns in parks, hospitals, and government buildings as a result. [Tampa Bay Times, 8/19/11]
2011: Rick Scott signed a controversial “docs versus glocks” bills, which punished doctors who asked patients about gun ownership. Pediatricians feared the safety repercussions of the legislation.
2011: Rick Scott said he would sign a guns-on-campus bill if it reached his desk despite the fears of many about the dangers of the mixture of guns and alcohol on campuses.
2012: A Federal judge barred enforcement of the docs v. glocks law, saying it was based on anecdotal information and unfounded conjecture.
2012: Rick Scott cut the cost of a concealed weapons permit.
2013: Rick Scott said he would not be proposing any changes to state gun laws during the year, despite the Sandy Hook massacre just weeks earlier.
2013: Rick Scott opposed universal background checks for gun purchases: “It’s always easy to say do something when no one understands what it is.”
2014: Rick Scott signed House Bill 89, which intended to allow people to use threatened force, such as a warning shot, as part of the stand your ground defense.
2014: Rick Scott signed legislation allowing children to play with simulated weapons in school.
2015: Rick Scott signed Senate Bill 290, which allowed Floridians to carry a concealed weapon for 48 hours during a mandatory evacuation without a license.
2016: Rick Scott cut the cost of a concealed weapons permit — for a second time in his Administration.
2016: Rick Scott refused to talk about gun measures in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting: "There will be plenty of time to deal with how our society comes together.”
2016: Rick Scott refused to talk about gun measures in the aftermath of the Fort Meyers club shooting: “The Second Amendment Has Never Shot Anybody"
2017: 11th Circuit Court Of Appeals struck down the docs v. glocks law.
2017: Miami Judge ruled that the new changes to the Stand Your Ground Law were unconstitutional.
2017: Rick Scott refused to talk about gun measures in the aftermath of the Fort Lauderdale Airport shooting: “It’s not a time to be political" [Transcript – Rick Scott Press Conference, 1/6/17]
2017: Rick Scott cut the cost of a concealed weapons permit — for a third time in his Administration.
Ironically, Rick Scott called on the FBI director to resign because of the Parkland shooting.
If anyone should resign over the death of my fellow Floridians, it’s Rick Scott. He won’t, so I’ll take his defeat instead.
