Post-Parkland gun reform advocacy groups team up to form bi-partisan gun control coalition; advocate for 2020 Florida Constitutional amendment

Two gun control advocacy groups announced Monday that they want to place a Florida Constitutional amendment to ban assault weapons before voters in 2020.

“Americans for Gun Safety Now” is an advocacy group supporting national gun reform. “Ban Assault Weapons Now” is a Florida political committee led by families of mass shooting victims. The groups are working together to educate Floridians about gun reform policies.

“Both organizations believe that banning assault weapons is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” the organizations said in a statement. “AFGSN and BAWN will work to raise awareness by encouraging Florida community members, elected officials and business leaders from both sides of the aisle to put politics aside and do what is right for our state.”

The groups support a variety of gun control measures like limiting high-capacity ammunition magazines, expanding universal background checks for anyone purchasing a firearm, and banning “bump stocks” – devices which allow weapons to fire faster.

The gun control coalition must get over 766,000 petition signatures from Florida voters to place a gun reform amendment on the 2020 general election ballot. Once on the ballot, the measure requires 60 percent of the vote to pass.