West Palm Beach, FL – Today, Representative Lois Frankel (FL-22) released the following statement after Florida Republicans rejected federal funding for gun violence prevention. By opting out of the application process, the state turned down as much as $15 million in federal funds.

“Guns are the number one killer of children in America. Parents should know that when their children go to school, the grocery store, or the movies that they will return home safely,” said Rep. Frankel. “In a state where the devastating mass shooting at Parkland still weighs heavily on our hearts, it is unconscionable that the DeSantis Administration has chosen to reject this crucial federal funding that can help prevent gun violence and save lives.”

This new federal funding was made available through sweeping bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation President Joe Biden signed into law last June. Grants can be used to support an array of programs, including the implementation of extreme risk protection orders, more commonly known as “red flag laws,” which remove guns from individuals who are at risk of harming themselves or others. Florida’s “red flag” law has been used 9,000 times since 2018, and this funding would reimburse expenses incurred from its use. However, Florida was one of just six states not to secure federal funding, citing “complex compliance requirements” that 44 other states were able to meet.

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