Permitless carry in Florida is a done deal in Flrorida after Governor Ron DeSantis signed the gun bill Monday, but a small group of Florida State University students and Tallahassee residents were still riled up Wednesday.
With the rally starting at the university’s Westcott Fountain and ending at the Governor’s mansion, one of the concerned adults among the participants was Jacquelyn Valentine — a member of the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action and a Daytona Beach native who has been living in Tallahassee for about three years.
She originally joined the organization in her hometown in 2016 following her daughter’s suicide with the use of a gun that same year. She says an individual handed her daughter the gun for protection, unaware of her mental health issues.
“I believe in Second Amendment rights, but with education,” Valentine said. “Everyone needs to be educated about how to use their weapons.”
The small rally turnout of about 20 people consisted of FSU’s Students Demand Action — an organization that supports the movement of ending gun violence in America — and members of Moms Demand Action in Florida, a similar grassroots movement that fights for public safety measures that protect individuals from gun violence across the country.
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Although the crowd was not a big one, the rally was also organized following a “National School Walkout” announcement that was made by the country-wide Students Demand Action organization. The online post circulated across social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter.
Toward the end of the rally, the participants sat under the fence of the governor’s mansion for a six-minute moment of silence to honor the lives of the six victims — three children and three adults — that were lost following the shooting that took place March 27 at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee.
Sofia Rodriguez, a second-year FSU student from Broward County majoring in criminology and international affairs, says she participated in the protest to make sure her voice is being heard and that concerned individuals are being seen.
“Our lives are way more important than the position of having a gun without a permit,” said Rodriguez, 19, who is a member of FSU’s Students Demand Action. “We have to start doing something now, because if we don’t, then nothing is going to change.”
Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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