Maxwell Frost, David Hogg Say No Permit Law Contributed to Orlando Mass Shooting

US Rep. Maxwell Frost sees a direct correlation between Florida’s new unauthorized transport law and a Halloween shooting in his district.

During a press call organized by the Democratic National Committee, Florida Politics asked Frost about one shooting in Orlando early Friday that left two dead and six others hospitalized. Frost, an Orlando Democrat, noted that this is not the first time shots have been fired in downtown Orlando. He was present at a 2016 shooting nearby.

“Our police chief came out and said usually over the last couple of years we’ve been screening people, doing security checks to make sure people aren’t bringing guns into downtown Orlando,” Frost said.

“They had to stop these screenings this year because of a law passed in Florida called permitless carry, which allows people to conceal-carry a weapon without a permit. The police weren’t able to screen people because they didn’t is able to tell people they can’t have a gun in the area because technically the street is a public street.”

Video surveillance recordings released by the agency shows that the shooting occurred around 1:07 a.m., with shots fired outside just south of Washington Street on Orange Avenue. The police arrested a 17-year-old Jaylen Dwayne Edgar after the incident.

Frost addressed the shooting during a call to activate young voters ahead of Tuesday’s general election. Already, national Democrats planned to discuss gun violence with David Hogga survivor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting in Parkland in 2018. He was the founder of March for our lives movement, which has lobbied state governments to pass more than 100 new laws across the country.

“It’s just common sense that if you allow more people in these areas to have firearms that aren’t trained, that are capable of just being in these situations, you’re going to see more random incidents — random fights and other things like for example, that – which would have previously been a fistfight at worst, turned into a shootout,” Hogg said.

Hogg predicted the issue will also motivate people in critical state-level contests. He said he will be knocking on doors this weekend for Florida House candidate Nate Douglas and expect it will help the Democrat win Housing district 37.

Frost and Hogg said many young voters feel motivated to demand changes in gun policy at the state and federal level. Both support the Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and believes the issue will sway many voters to support her on Tuesday.

Frost noted that the Democratic president Joe Biden created the first National Office on Gun Violence Prevention. He has filed a bill to require future administrations to keep it open, and at one point was Ceremony at the White House with Biden and Harris when the initiative was announced.

“We have a lot of work to do. But I will tell you this, the gun violence prevention movement is the strongest it’s ever been,” Frost said. “We’re stronger than the gun lobby. We are stronger than the NRA. We are stronger than arms manufacturers. We know because we’re getting the most wins we’ve ever had. The first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, the most executive orders fighting gun violence.”

He noted that just a decade ago, many Democrats were reluctant to embrace policies like an assault weapons ban, but it has now been added to the party’s platform.

“It’s also part of our current and future president’s platform,” Frost said. “So we build power, we maintain power, and we will continue to work to save lives.”

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