Florida Sen. Marco Rubio faced high school students Wednesday night who survived the Parkland, Florida, shooting, defending his stance on gun rights during a CNN Townhall event. Rubio’s stances on the second amendment, gun control, taking money from the NRA and new regulations were all topics.
Here are some highlights.
photo/ donkeyhotey
“I absolutely believe that in this country if you are 18 years of age, you should not be able to buy a rifle, and I will support a law that takes that right away,” Rubio said of raising the age to buy a “long rifle” in Florida. The current age for a handgun is 21. The age in most states was changed to align with eligibility for the military, so by raising the age, those in the military wouldn’t be able to own a weapon as a civilian.
“I think that’s the right thing to do.”
The size of magazines and clips was another area discussed.
“I have traditionally not supported looking at magazine clip size and after this and some of the details I have learned about it, I am reconsidering that position and I’ll tell you why,” he said. “Because while it may not prevent an attack, it may save lives in an attack. … I know there are, for example, handguns that have 17. So we’ll have to get into that debate, but that is something I believe that we can reach a compromise (on) in this country, and that I’m willing to reconsider.”
The remarks got the attention of one Democrat: “Sen. @marcorubio, thank you for reconsidering your position on large capacity magazines at the CNN Town Hall – I’ve got a bill waiting for you to co-sponsor,” Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, tweeted.
Rubio perpetuated the new movement of the “gun violence restraining order,” explaining: “I’ve already announced … a concept called a gun violence restraining order that allows authorities — and it has to be someone in your immediate family, it has to be somebody you live with, it has to be a parent, it has to be an administrator — can go to authorities and allow someone to not just be prevented from purchasing any firearm and allow those to be taken from them — and the person will have due process,” he said. “I support that and I hope they will pass that.”
This law, which is already in place in California and Oregon, allows people to petition a court to remove a person’s access to guns. California legislators are already using the Florida shooting as a justification to expand the bill to add employers, co-workers, high school and college staff, and mental health workers to the list of individuals who can seek a restraining order.
Rubio voiced disagreement with President Trump on arming teachers.
“I don’t support that. … The notion that my kids are going to school with teachers that are armed with a weapon is not something that, quite frankly, I’m comfortable with,” Rubio said.
Add armed security guards is something growing across the nation, with Missouri’s Boone County making news this week.
Rubio took the heat on receiving donations from the NRA.
“The positions I hold on these issues of the Second Amendment, I’ve held since the day I entered office in the city of West Miami as an elected official,” Rubio said. “People buy into my agenda, and I do support the Second Amendment.”
The topic is polarizing and the media is deepening the divide without facts.
Brandon Jones - Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites.
Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor.
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