Gun violence has continued to touch Florida backyards with recent shootings in Tallahassee and Jacksonville.
In Miami on Tuesday, a search for solutions by a panel of Florida influencers echoed the concerns raised by UF students interviewed more than 300 miles away.
At the Florida Priorities Summit — a panel hosted by the Miami Herald, el Nuevo Herald and Bradenton Herald that had more than 25 influential Floridians discuss statewide issues — influencers brainstormed ways to slow the cycle of gun violence. They discussed mental health, background checks and domestic violence.
Here’s how two UF students and two influencers view the issue.
STUDENTS:
Julia Tiplea
Julia Tiplea
University of Florida marine sciences junior
Age: 20
From: Las Vegas, moved to Parkland
It was already a jarring week for Julia Tiplea after she saw the results from Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Her week grew worse when she woke up to the news of the Thousand Oaks shooting in California that killed 13 people.
Any gun violence deeply affects her life. She lost her friend Quinton Robbins in the Las Vegas shooting, and then five months later, her brother hid from an active shooter in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“There’s no good way of talking about this without being emotional,” Tiplea, a member of the March for Our Lives Gainesville, said. “Gun violence is not a partisan issue, it’s a human issue.”
Tiplea said it’s a common misconception to think she wants to infringe on the Second Amendment or take away guns. She said she wants to push for common sense gun reform. The most effective piece of legislation would be thorough background checks.
“It’s not an issue of trying to take away guns,” she said. “It’s just an issue of trying to prevent bad people from getting guns.”
Victor Santos
Victor Santos
University of Florida advertising junior
Age: 22
From: Brazil, moved to West Palm Beach
Guns were only for cops and thieves in Brazil where Victor Santos grew up.
When Santos moved to the U.S. with his mom at age 12, he learned guns were a means to protect himself and his family.
Every individual should have the right to bear arms, including military grade weapons to be able to defend from the government, said Santos, the vice president of the conservative UF organization Young Americans for Freedom. Restricting law-abiding citizens by age wouldn’t be fair.
Examining the mental health of people with guns, having deeper background checks and addressing mental health at an early age are some long-term solutions to the problem, Santos said.
The March for Our Lives movement has woken up many in America, but his problem with the movement is that it only drives short-term solutions.
“Emotions are valid,” he said. “But you need to remove yourself from the emotional situation to be analytical to come up with a solution for both the short-term and long-term.”
INFLUENCERS:
Mary Anne Franks
Mary Anne Franks
University of Miami law professor
Age: 41
From: Arkansas, moved to Miami
Mary Anne Franks thinks people are looking in the wrong place to find a solution to gun violence.
Franks said it starts with dismantling the culture that makes male shooters deadly. The root of the problem comes from men who feel out of place or don’t get what they want and feel a need to control and resort to violence and rage.
She said men own more guns than women and the vast majority of male shooters have a history of domestic violence.
“If we don’t confront that issue, we’re never going to get our hands on the gun violence issue,” Franks said.
Confronting the issue starts with raising children to feel comfortable with disappointments in life, she said. Working on this and background checks could help solve the problem.
“We could start tomorrow by making sure boys can accept rejection,” she said.
Leigh-Ann Buchanan
Leigh-Ann Buchanan
Venture Cafe Miami
Age: 32
From: Canada, moved to Miami
Leigh-Ann Buchanan said there are opportunities for policy changes in gun safety and public safety.
Buchanan said she wants to review the “stand your ground” statutes, which she was involved with as the chairwoman of the American Bar Association’s National Task Force on Stand Your Ground laws.
Clearer statutes would eliminate confusion for law enforcement in “stand your ground” investigations.
“I have a passion for safe communities and policy that focuses on valuing life and the ability for people to thrive,” she said.
Contact Christina Morales at cmorales@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @Christina_M18
