Florida lawmakers are speaking out against the attack on the former President on Saturday when a gunman took aim at Trump and pierced his right ear, leaving one person dead and two seriously wounded.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, said her heart goes out to not only the former president but also the father who was killed while shielding his family from gunfire.
But she said the attack by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, unfortunately, reflects the political division nationwide and agrees with President Biden’s recent remarks calling for unity.
“I think this is an important time for everyone to think about what unites us as Americans,” she said. “We’re so fortunate to live in a country where we’re free and we can express ourselves.”
Castor is no stranger to political violence. Her friend in Washington, D.C., former Congress member Gabby Giffords, was shot in 2011 while hosting an event with constituents in Tucson, Arizona.
And while Castor said the shooting in Pennsylvania is yet another episode in the epidemic of gun violence, she remains vigilant.
“I do not want to live in a country where I’m worried that I can’t talk to someone, or someone cannot approach me at church or at the grocery store or out on the street,” she said. “That’s not the kind of place I want to live in. That’s not how I, would seek to conduct myself as an elected official either.”
Castor said gun manufacturers have a tight grip on policymaking, but she’s hopeful this incident could lead to more bipartisan legislation on gun safety.
Meanwhile, Democratic Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani called the assassination attempt of Trump over the weekend “horrifying” and “scary.”
She said Americans should be able to peacefully assemble without fear of gun violence, especially in political environments.
“Unfortunately, it’s become ever so common in the United States for there to be occurrences of gun violence,” Eskamani said. “And of course, there’s been elevated political rhetoric for years now.”
And even she has been the target of negative political rhetoric. Eskamani is currently involved in an active investigation with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement over death threats.
But while the representative said, like Castor, that she appreciates President Biden’s calls for unity, the incident still makes her nervous.
“I think through my brain what I would do if someone pulled a gun on myself or my team. So that is a constant worry that I have,” Eskamani said. “Of course, now it’s even more serious because unfortunately, violence often begets violence.”
And for that very reason, she spoke with her team to revisit their state security policies following the event. But going forward, Eskamani said there needs to be action for stricter gun legislation.
She said at the end of the day, legal or illegal access to firearms has a direct connection to gun violence.
“Regardless if you’re at a political rally or if you have a nightclub called pulse, or if you’re at your school learning, or at the movie theater, or at the mall or at the park or on your neighborhood curb, you should be able to have the freedom in this country to live without gun violence,” Eskamani said.
And to her, gun reform should happen because if one of the most powerful men in American politics with armed and professional security isn’t safe, then it only reiterates what that means for the rest of the country.
But State Rep. Mike Beltran, who serves part of Hillsborough and Manatee Counties, has a slightly different outlook than his Democratic colleagues.
Similarly, the Republican lawmaker said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the assassination attempt of the former president.
But said any attacks like this should be prevented through diligent security, and not through “unconstitutional infringements to the Second Amendment.”
In a statement provided to WMNF, Beltran said the shooting appears to be the result of “severe lapses in security,” and he does not believe any change to gun laws should or will result from the attack.
Beltran is currently in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention.
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