With topics like pot and abortion leading the way as some of the top issues Florida voters will be addressing this year, the conversation of gun control is silent, as of now.
Even with rising crimes in some cities throughout the state, the gun control lobby is still looking to push through more gun restrictions.
“Believe me, if they could make this a top issue in this year’s election, they will find a way,” says former Florida State Rep and talk radio analyst Matt Caldwell.
One of those groups is the Florida Moms Demand Action. Over the last few years, they have showed up at local city council meetings pushing for communities to get involved and “demand” more gun restrictions from state lawmakers. But currently, their efforts are falling on deaf ears.
And now they find themselves becoming less important among the political landscape in 2024.
Lately, to remain relevant, they have tried to combine their efforts with other groups looking to get a grip on the crime problems in cities like Jacksonville.
In 2023, Jacksonville saw a127 people murdered. Around 94% of those killed were Black men and boys, and over half of those victims were under the age of 30. The local sheriff’s office says nearly all of the murders involved a gun.
So, a coalition of faith congregations called ICARE, the Interfaith Coalition for Action, Reconciliation and Empowerment, held a community meeting to discuss the crime taking place in the local black community.
Leaders in the group commented about being more involved with the mayor’s office, law enforcement, social services and more help with local churches.
While much of the conversation was about community involvement, the Moms Demand Action had to bring up the issue of dealing with guns.
But the question is, are voters listening. According to polls, voters aren’t interested in the gun control debate. So instead, the Moms Demand Action are piece mealing their efforts to act like they are getting things accomplished when it comes to guns.
For example. In Polk County, the group teamed up with the local League of Women Voters to hand out over 1800 free gun locks to citizens claiming it will save lives. The group says it’s working to prevent loaded guns from getting into the hands of children and this action is to reduce accidental shootings and gun violence.
“It’s very important that people understand that children of a very young age pull triggers and it affects families for the rest of their lives,” said Dr. Trudy Rankin, co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Polk County’s gun safety committee.
“We distributed (gun locks) them to a lot of Early Learning Centers. The kids take them home and give them to the parents and say ‘please lock up your guns,’” said Leander Aulisio with Moms Demand Action Polk County.
In south Florida. Florida Moms Demand Action partnered up with local LGBT groups promoting gun control at a local Palm Beach Pride gathering. “We stand with communities that are disproportionately impacted by gun violence, and will never stop working to #DisarmHate,” the group posted on social media.
A recent article by the liberal publication The Guardian pointed out that gun control groups are facing a steep hurdle in this year’s election cycle.
With states like Florida pushing more gun rights legislation, Moms Demand Actions are now using different terms and redefining the argument of “gun control. Instead of saying assault weapons, they now use the term “weapons of war.” Instead referring to themselves as a gun control group , they are now “gun reform group or “gun violence prevention groups.”
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