{"id":77513,"date":"2022-02-15T12:37:14","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T18:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=77513"},"modified":"2022-02-15T12:37:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T18:37:14","slug":"77513","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=77513","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

The Parkland Shooting Was Proof Positive That Gun Control Doesn\u2019t Work<\/a><\/p>\n

The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a tragic event. Particularly so in that could have been prevented. Not prevented by enacting more gun\u00a0control laws. It could have been prevented by the proper administration and application of law enforcement and school administration.<\/p>\n

But since the shooting four years ago, those who so clearly failed to do their jobs that day and in the years before have laid the blame for the massacre on law-abiding gun\u00a0owners and the inanimate object the killer used.<\/p>\n

Nikolas Cruz was a known threat. He was known by the administrators of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Broward County Public Schools, the Broward County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the FBI.<\/p>\n

Here are some interesting facts about the shooter in the years leading up to his rampage.<\/p>\n

Feb. 5, 2016:<\/strong>\u00a0A Broward County Sheriff\u2019s deputy is told by an anonymous caller that Nikolas Cruz, then 17, had threatened on Instagram to shoot up his school and posted a photo of himself with\u00a0guns<\/a>. The information is forwarded to BSO Deputy Scott Peterson (the same officer\u00a0who failed to act during the shooting<\/a>), a school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.<\/p>\n

Sept. 23, 2016:<\/strong>\u00a0A \u201cpeer counselor\u201d reports to Peterson that Cruz had possibly ingested gasoline in a suicide attempt, was cutting himself, and wanted to buy a gun. A mental health counselor advised against involuntary committing Cruz. The high school said it would conduct a threat assessment.<\/p>\n

Sept. 28, 2016:<\/strong>\u00a0An investigator for the Florida Department of Children and Families rules Cruz is stable, despite \u201cfresh cuts\u201d on his arms. His mother, Lynda Cruz, says in the past he wrote a racial slur against African Americans on his book bag and had recently talked of buying firearms.<\/p>\n

Sept. 24, 2017:<\/strong>\u00a0A YouTube user named \u201cnikolas cruz\u201d posted a comment stating he wants to become a \u201cprofessional school shooter.\u201d The comment is reported to the FBI in Mississippi, which fails to make the connection to Cruz in South Florida.<\/p>\n

Nov. 1, 2017:<\/strong>\u00a0Katherine Blaine, Lynda Cruz\u2019s cousin, calls BSO to report that Nikolas Cruz had weapons and asks that police recover them. A \u201cclose family friend\u201d agrees to take the firearms, according to BSO.<\/p>\n

Nov. 29, 2017:<\/strong>\u00a0The Palm Beach County family that took Cruz in after the death of his mother calls the Palm Beach Sheriff\u2019s Office to report a fight between Cruz and their son, 22. A member of the family says Cruz had threatened to \u201cget his gun\u00a0and come back\u201d and that he has \u201cput the gun\u00a0to others\u2019 heads in the past.\u201d The family does not want him arrested once he calms down.<\/p>\n

Nov. 30, 2017:<\/strong>\u00a0A caller from Massachusetts calls BSO to report that Cruz is collecting\u00a0guns<\/a>\u00a0and knives and could be a \u201cschool shooter in the making.\u201d A BSO deputy advises the caller to contact the Palm Beach sheriff.<\/p>\n

Jan. 5, 2018:<\/strong>\u00a0A caller to the FBI\u2019s tip line reports that Cruz has \u201ca desire to kill people\u201d and could potentially conduct a school shooting. The information is never passed on to the FBI\u2019s office in Miami.<\/p>\n

Note: this timeline does not include the 39 times Broward County Sheriff\u2019s Deputies responded to complaints about Cruz\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n

Also, back in 2013, the Broward County School Board adopted a program in which they don\u2019t relay information to police about troubled students. NPR reported in\u00a0Fla. School District Trying To Curb School-To-Prison Pipeline<\/a>\u00a0. . .<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a move away from so-called \u201czero tolerance\u201d policies that require schools to refer even minor misdemeanors to the police. Critics call it a \u201cschool to prison pipeline.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under a new program adopted by the Broward County School District, non-violent misdemeanors \u2014 even those that involve alcohol, marijuana or drug paraphernalia \u2014 will now be handled by the schools instead of the police.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Cruz was banned from carrying a backpack at school after bullets were found in his backpack. Cruz was expelled from MSD in 2017 after a fight with his ex-girlfriend\u2019s new boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Again, Cruz gets a pass under the Broward County School Board\u2019s official policy of requiring that schools don\u2019t inform the police about non-violent incidents with troubled youth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were problems with him last year threatening students, and I guess he was asked to leave campus,\u201d\u00a0Maths teacher Jim Gard told\u00a0The Miami Herald<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

784.011 Assault<\/a>. \u2014
\n(1)\u2003An \u201cassault\u201d is an intentional, unlawful threat by word or act to do violence to the person of another, coupled with an apparent ability to do so, and doing some act which creates a well-founded fear in such other person that such violence is imminent.<\/p>\n

(2)\u2003Whoever commits an assault shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.\u00a0775.082<\/a>\u00a0or s.\u00a0775.083<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A liberal, feel-good program stepped in the way of enforcing laws we have on the books. Cruz\u2019s actions including fighting and making threats against students and teachers clearly constituted assault.<\/p>\n

It is possible that Nikolas Cruz could have been\u00a0Baker Acted<\/a>\u00a0and received the needed medical attention he required. But that wasn\u2019t the case and sadly, 17 people lost their lives as a result.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s go a step further and look directly at the issue of gun\u00a0control.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After Parkland, there were calls for mandatory background checks. Florida law already required a mandatory background check that goes through the\u00a0Florida Department of Law Enforcement\u2019s Firearm Purchase Program<\/a>\u00a0for every gun\u00a0purchased from a gun\u00a0store in the state.<\/p>\n

From FDLE . . .<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Firearm Purchase Program began operations in 1991, as authorized by F.S. 790.065, which was enacted in 1989 and amended in 1990 by the Florida Legislature. F.S. 790.065 furthered the purposes of the federal Gun\u00a0Control Act of 1968 (Title 18 U.S.C., Sections 921-929), with respect to regulating the sale and delivery of firearms by licensed firearm dealers to persons who are not licensed firearm dealers.<\/p>\n

On November 30, 1993, The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, Title 18 U.S.C. Section 922(t), was passed by Congress. The interim version of this law became effective February 28, 1994, with the permanent version taking effect on November 30, 1998. The Brady Act requires all federal firearm licensees to conduct criminal background checks before selling or transferring a firearm to a non-licensed individual. In Florida, the FDLE Firearm Purchase Program implements the Brady Act at the state level.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It runs every purchase through the\u00a0Florida Crime Information Center (FCIC)<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0National Crime Information Center (NCIC)<\/a>. This is actually more rigorous than the FBI\u2019s\u00a0National instant Criminal background Check System (NICS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On top of that,\u00a0Florida law and the state constitution<\/a>\u00a0at the time required a mandatory three-day waiting period that each county could augment by five days.<\/p>\n

Article I Section 8.\u00a0Right to bear<\/a>\u00a0arms \u2014<\/p>\n

(b)\u2003There shall be a mandatory period of three days, excluding weekends and legal holidays, between the purchase and delivery at retail of any handgun. For the purposes of this section, \u201cpurchase\u201d means the transfer of money or other valuable consideration to the retailer, and \u201chandgun\u201d means a firearm capable of being carried and used by one hand, such as a pistol or revolver. Holders of a concealed weapon permit as prescribed in Florida law shall not be subject to the provisions of this paragraph.<\/p>\n

Article VIII Section 5. Local option \u2014<\/p>\n

(b)\u2003Each county shall have the authority to require a criminal history records check and a 3 to 5-day waiting period, excluding weekends and legal holidays, in connection with the sale of any firearm occurring within such county. For purposes of this subsection, the term \u201csale\u201d means the transfer of money or other valuable consideration for any firearm when any part of the transaction is conducted on property to which the public has the right of access. Holders of a concealed weapons permit as prescribed by general law shall not be subject to the provisions of this subsection when purchasing a firearm.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Broward County had a five-day waiting period for all gun\u00a0purchases per\u00a0county ordinance \u00a7 18-96. Waiting period; prohibition<\/a>\u00a0and Cruz was under 21. That meant he couldn\u2019t qualify for a concealed carry permit to skip the waiting period. So he actually had to wait the five days to acquire his rifle.<\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0790.06 License to carry concealed weapon or firearm<\/a>\u00a0covers the full gamut of what requirements are needed to get a concealed carry permit and I need to summarize it because the list is too long for this article. Suffice to say, being 21 or older, going to a certified training course, not being a felon, and\u00a0not having mental health issues<\/em>\u00a0are a few of the things that one would need to get a permit.<\/p>\n

So that means that the gun\u00a0store that sold the rifle Nikolas Cruz followed every law on the books.<\/p>\n

Yet, since both the Broward County Sheriff\u2019s Office and the Broward County School Board refused to document the multiple instances when and where Nikolas Cruz would have been disqualified for purchasing a firearm, he was never put into the very system that those in power preach about.<\/p>\n

These were systemic failures that those in power \u2014 failures that government tried mightily to sweep under the rug and instead have laid blame at the feet of lawful gun\u00a0owners.<\/p>\n

The failures on the part of law enforcement, government officials and gun\u00a0control laws led directly to what happened on that horrible day.<\/p>\n

Feb. 14, 2018:<\/strong>\u00a0Nikolas Cruz attacks Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school. Deputy Scot Peterson, the school\u2019s resource officer, draws his gun\u00a0outside the building where Cruz is shooting students and staff, but doesn\u2019t enter the school and never attempts to confront Cruz. This is the same Deputy Peterson who Sgt. Greg Molamphy\u00a0nominated as the Parkland Deputy of the Year in 2017<\/a>. In a memo Molamphy sent to Lt. Michael DeVita, he wrote Peterson handled \u201cissues that arise with tact and solid judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peterson was awol when seconds counted. People were made defenseless because of asinine laws like gun-free zones and instead of fighting back against Nikolas Cruz,\u00a0teachers had to shield students with their bodies and die<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gun free zones didn\u2019t work. Waiting periods didn\u2019t work. Law enforcement didn\u2019t work, and neither did the school administration itself. The blood of innocents stains the hands of those in charge, not law-abiding Florida gun owners.\u00a0In 2018, I stood before the Florida Senate and laid this out . . .<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t care. Instead the Republican supermajority caved to political pressure and\u00a0passed even more gun control laws<\/a>. Remember this every year at this time when the gun\u00a0control industry points to Parkland as justification for further limiting Americans\u2019 gun\u00a0rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Parkland Shooting Was Proof Positive That Gun Control Doesn\u2019t Work The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was a tragic event. Particularly so in that could have been prevented. Not prevented by enacting more gun\u00a0control laws. It could have been prevented by the proper administration and application of law enforcement and school administration. … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50,5,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-goobermint","category-politics","category-rkba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=77513"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77514,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77513\/revisions\/77514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=77513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=77513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=77513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}