FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Members of Do Something Florida turned in their first batch of signatures to get a military-grade weapon ban on the 2020 ballot in Fort Lauderdale.
Activists of the group met outside of the Broward Supervisor of Elections office on Monday morning, pushing for change as the one-year anniversary of the Parkland shooting approaches.
The group hopes to let voters decide if military grade assault rifles should be legal in the Sunshine State.
“It’s time to ban the type of military-grade assault weapons in the state of Florida that are used by our military overseas on our enemies, on the battlefield,” said Gail Schwartz, whose nephew was killed in the Parkland shooting.
Survivors and relatives of those killed in the shooting, as well as other activists, pushed for change to make Florida the eighth state to ban the type of weapon Nikolas Cruz used to murder 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
David Hogg spoke outside of the Broward County Supervisor of Elections office. He said, “These weapons are used across the world by American forces in war, and it’s time to end the war in our schools. It’s time to end the war in our streets.”
“I’m supporting this effort,” said Debbie Hixon, whose husband, Chris Hixon, was killed in the Parkland shooting, “because as everyone else, I don’t believe that assault weapons should be in the hands of civilians.”
The bipartisan group needs roughly 800,000 signatures before the issue would be placed on ballots in 2020.
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