TAMPA (WFLA) – Following mass murder in California, Texas, and Ohio many are calling for some kind of gun control.
It’s one of the most polarizing questions facing the nation today, with many saying gun control is not the answer and you will never take their weapons from their hands.
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri led the Parkland Shooting Commission and believes more mass shooting are inevitable.
“It’s not a question of if it’s going happen again. The only question is when? The question is where? But I’ll suggest that the most important question everybody needs to ask themselves is what are they doing differently today than they were doing yesterday to drive a different outcome?” said Gualtieri.
Still, he believes some changes must be made.
“The second amendment, is an important right, and we must respect it, but it also is an amendment that there can be reasonable restrictions placed on individuals. And I think it’s time that we really give some thought to it,” said Gualtieri.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister believes better background checks will help.
“There needs to be more scrutiny or testing. If you are going to own a firearm, any type of firearm, some type of mental health screening. There needs to be enhanced mental health screening when it comes to owning any type of firearm,” said Chronister.
Amanda Grau is a nurse in the Tampa area with a perspective on the issue that few others can have. She was shot four times inside of the Pulse nightclub during the mass murder there.
Grau says she lives with it every day and can feel for the more recent mass shooting victims and their families. Grau would like to see an immediate ban on assault weapons.
“Take that stand, take that stand with me and my family and vote to ban mass destructions, uh guns. Something needs to happen and something needs to happen now,” said Grau.
Democratic State Senator Darryl Rouson believes the issue should be put in front of Florida voters to let them decide.
“I think the people need to be heard,” said Rouson who personally believes there should be a ban on assault weapons. “I think that AK 47’s and weapons like it that are used for killing, mass destruction of lives ought to be banned.”