More than 70 supporters of new gun laws gathered in front of Florida U. S. Senator Marco Rubio’s office on the USF Tampa campus on Saturday. They protested Rubio’s “no” votes against expanded background checks and other measures that are designed to reduce rising gun violence in our communities. The rally was sponsored by Organizing for Action (OFA), a new non-profit, grassroots effort to promote passage of President Obama’s legislative agenda. OFA is not affiliated with any political party or candidate.
Several national polls show that the majority of Americans favor more legal steps to curtail the possession of firearms by felons and the mentally impaired.
Since the mass killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, at least 3,527 more gunshot deaths have occurred in other parts of the country. According to those official estimates, 226 of those killings have been in Florida and of those, 19 here in the Tampa area.
The Saturday demonstration against Senator Rubio’s apparent lack of concern for helping to prevent such tragedies included protestors from most parts of the Tampa Bay area. Among them were several speakers who told the crowd about personal experiences with gun violence.
Ms. Mary Ann Reynolds of Tampa lost her 16-year-old grandson, Jamarie, to a gangster’s bullets only a month after his birthday in October 2011. The shooting occurred in her home after two teenage boys armed with a pistol forced their way inside while she was away. After the intruders robbed Jamarie and his younger brother, they began beating the younger boy.
Jamarie tried to protect his sibling, but he was shot and killed.
The shooting, she said, was part of a series of gang-related incidents in the area that were part of new member initiations.
The trial of the 19-year-old shooting suspect, on a 2nd degree murder charge, is scheduled to begin Tuesday (today), April 23rd, in Courtroom 6, in Tampa. Ms. Reynolds says she will be there.
Community activist, Carl Warren, Sr., spoke about his “disagreement” with the Republican Party over its position on gun violence. He said he had been a member of the GOP for 34 years, but could not accept his party’s or Senator Rubio’s lack of positive action on the issue.
