Campaign Action
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are in Tallahassee, trying to get their legislature and governor to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe as the state's lawmakers they can do something to prevent the mass slaughter of children in their schools. It's a message Florida Republicans apparently don't want to hear.
That includes the state Senate's president, Republican Joe Negron, who turned students away. They were told "appointments only" and shut out of Negron's office.
It also, apparently, includes Gov. Rick Scott whose office first told students, according to reporting on cable news, that he didn't have time to meet with them, and then later told MSNBC that he would meet with small groups of students at the end of the day, starting at 5 PM. His office says he is at a funeral for a Douglas victim, which reporting hasn't yet confirmed.
If they actually get to meet with any of these Republicans, they've got a whole lot of wingnut to try to combat. Like staunch "gun-rights" proponent State Sen. Dennis Baxley. In an interview with VICE News's Alexandra Jaffe, Baxley says "I really didn't want to see this politicized, but it's a great weapon for our Democratic opponents who would love to have the majority. They want this issue for November."
When Jaffe points out that the issue can only be solved by lawmakers, and is thus pretty much already politicized, Baxley refuses the responsibility and says that it's all about "changing the culture." Jaffe pushes harder, and gets this remarkable exchange.
Baxley: "Everybody is obsessing about the instrument. I want to solve the problem."
Jaffe: "Why should anyone in Florida have an AR-15?"
Baxley: "Why should they not?"
Jaffe: "Because they are used to kill multiple people very quickly."
Baxley: "Well, spoons are used to eat stuff and kill yourself with obesity but we're not picking on spoons to get rid of obesity."
When someone develops the spoon into a weapon of mass destruction, we'll know who to turn to, I guess? In the meantime, thanks, Sen. Baxley, for exposing just how unhinged the NRA-loving Republican party is. It's going to open the eyes of the very sane electorate and make it that much easier to get rid of all you guys.