Almost eight years to the day since his daughter was murdered trying to escape the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Fred Guttenberg sat next to U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz doing what he’s become known for — passionately arguing for gun laws that would make it more difficult for someone to commit an act of violence.
“Jaime’s law,” named for Guttenberg’s daughter, is a federal bill that would extend background checks to the purchase of ammunition, helping enforce existing law against such purchases by felons, people with domestic violence records or the mentally ill. The law, if passed, would require buyers to either provide a license for the firearm or undergo an instant background check using the FBI National Instant Background Check System.
“You cannot prevent every tragedy, but you can make it less likely if you put obstacles in the path of someone who intends to commit harm,” said Wasserman Schultz.
The odds do not favor the bill’s passage, considering the conservative make-up of the current Congress and its general opposition to restrictions. But both Guttenberg and Wasserman Schultz expressed hope that a reasonable proposal can meet the approval of the Second Amendment’s most ardent defenders.
“Why not extend background checks to ammunition?” Guttenberg said. Following the death of ICE protester Alex Pretti in Minnesota last month, President Donald Trump and other Republicans cited Pretti’s gun as an indication he was up to no good. Guttenberg seized on the observation.
“If they (Republican leaders) recognize we are now armed to the point of endangering each other, let’s do something about that,” he said. “It will be in everybody’s interest.”
The bill is being co-sponsored in the U.S. Senate by Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who called it “a common-sense solution to combat the epidemic of gun violence in our country” in a news release Friday.
Another proposal announced this week, “Alyssa’s law,” would establish national school safety standards to help schools respond more quickly during emergencies and save lives. That law is named for Stoneman Douglas victim Alyssa Alhadeff.
Earlier this week, family members of the 17 murdered on Feb. 14, 2018, at the Parkland high school said the loss makes it impossible to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Some pushed for the Broward Sheriff’s Office to stop trying to delay the upcoming civil trial in the case. Others criticized Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier for refusing to defend a law blocking people aged 18, 19 and 20 from carrying a concealed weapon.
The Sheriff’s Office held a brief memorial ceremony at its Parkland training center on Friday, while students at Driftwood Elementary School in Hollywood stood together to spell out the word “love” on the school’s basketball court.
The gunman who committed the mass shooting is currently serving 34 consecutive life sentences after pleading guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags across the state to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset on Saturday to commemorate the victims.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.