Moody Still Wants to Derail Assault Weapons Ban

Attorney General Ashley Moody doubled down on attempting to block voters from deciding on gun control just days after 2 horrific mass shootings rocked the United States.

At a press conference on August 5, Moody smeared gun control advocates by claiming their proposed constitutional amendment was “deceitful and misleading,” and held firm that she would work to stop the proposal from getting in front of Florida voters.

News outlets were quick to highlight the Attorney General’s bizarre attack on gun control advocates.

Tampa Bay Times: ‘Deceitful and misleading’: Florida’s attorney general slams weapons ban proposal after mass shootings. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Moody claimed the amendment was misleading because it may ban her family’s antique rifle.

From the Tampa Bay Times:

Speaking in Jacksonville at an unrelated news conference, Moody called the proposed ban “deceitful and misleading,” and said it would ban the sale of antique rifles like the one owned by her grandfather 60 years ago.

[…]

Ben Pollara, a political consultant working with Ban Assault Weapons Now!, said the group consulted legal and gun safety experts for a definition that would cover weapons “that have been used to devastating effect in mass shootings like those that occurred in Parkland and at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.”

He said the weapon owned by Moody’s grandfather could be considered illegal under the proposal.

“If someone wants to give their ‘9 or 10’ year old grandkid a semiautomatic rifle capable of taking a high-capacity magazine they will be out of luck,” Pollara said in a statement. “But unless grandpa needs to unload ten bullets into a deer when he’s out hunting, his 60 year old rifle is probably totally legal under this amendment.” _{[Tampa Bay Times, 8/5/19]}

Orlando Sentinel: Despite El Paso and Dayton, Florida AG Ashley Moody maintains opposition to assault weapons amendment. The Orlando Sentinel reported on Moody’s A rating with the NRA and quoted the president of the Florida League of Women Voters who described Moody’s statement as “disgraceful.”

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Moody has been criticized by Ban Assault Weapons Now, a group that includes family members of the Parkland shooting and Pulse nightclub shooting survivors, including Ricardo Negron-Almodovar and Brandon Wolf, for her A rating from the National Rifle Association, which they claim is the reason she opposes the amendment.

“It’s another indication that Moody, like so many other self-proclaimed ‘leaders,’ across the country, is far more concerned with saving face than doing the work they were elected to do,” Wolf said. “The language of the proposed amendment is not confusing or defective; she and her fellow NRA sellouts simply don’t like it.”

Patti Brigham, president of the Florida League of Women Voters a Ban Assault Weapons Now member, called Moody’s comments “disgraceful.” _{[Orlando Sentinel, 8/5/19]}

Florida Politics: Ashley Moody sticks to her guns on assault weapon ban opposition. “Attorney General Ashley Moody has earned plaudits from the National Rifle Association for opposing a citizen initiative banning assault weapons.” _{[Florida Politics, 8/5/19]}