Parkland father scathes Newsom for using the shooting against DeSantis in debate
PARKLAND, Fla. – Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow was murdered in the Parkland shooting, blasted California Gov. Gavin Newsom for criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis on the shooting during Thursday’s “Red State vs Blue State” debate.
Pollack’s reaction situated on the issue of gun violence, a topic moderated by Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“My daughter died in the Parkland mass shooting,” Pollack said. “Ron DeSantis was not even governor when it happened, but I’m sure as hell glad he became governor shortly after.”
Pollack stated DeSantis “fired the incompetent people responsible and didn’t demonize lawful gun owners.” He also referred to Newsom as “trash.”
On the day of the 2018 Valentine’s Day shooting, Florida was governed by Rick Scott. DeSantis became Florida’s governor in 2019.
“Ron, you had one of the worst mass shootings in American history, Parkland,” Newsom said. “17 kids were gunned down, lives lost.”
Newsom also mentioned Parkland victim Jaime Guttenberg and her father, Fred, asking DeSantis to “do something about it.” He also stated Guttenberg calling DeSantis “weak, pathetic, and small” for doing what Newsom claimed as the “exact opposite.”
“You made it easier for felons to get guns without background checks, without any training. These people pleaded with the parents and the families to get tough on gun safety,” Newsom said. “And again, you made it easier for felons.”
In April, DeSantis signed HB 543 into law. The legislation strengthened Floridian’s 2nd Amendment rights by permitting concealed carry without a permit. According to Florida statute 790.23, convicted felons are not allowed to own guns.
In response, DeSantis referred to California as having twice the violent crime rate per 100,000 people as his state. A graphic portrayed California’s 499.5 to Florida’s 258.9, according to FBI data. It also depicted Florida as being lower than the national average of 380.7.
“People are leaving California in droves, largely because public safety has collapsed,” DeSantis said. He also referred to Californians visiting Florida as “an out of body experience.”
“They can go to the store, get toothpaste off the shelf, pay for it and leave because in a lot of these places in California, everything’s under lock and key because they basically legalized retail theft,” DeSantis continued. “They have chosen in California to put the interests of the criminals over public safety.”
A popular Democratic figure, Newsom has been floated as a presidential candidate to replace President Joe Biden. Serving as California’s governor since 2019, he also was the mayor of San Francisco from 2004 to 2011.
Newsom also recently invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to San Francisco, while openly admitting to cleaning up the city for the communist dictator’s arrival. A report by the city indicated half of San Francisco’s sidewalks were covered with feces in 2021 and 2022.
The move also was blasted by the DeSantis campaign, highlighting California’s treatment of red states while giving the CCP an open welcome.
In 2021, Newsom effectively banned state-funded travel to Florida for, in California’s view, laws that discriminate against members of the LGBTQ community. The travel ban was revoked in 2023.
“Gavin Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, so he took the San Francisco model [to] turn that into a template for California’s collapse,” DeSantis said. “Now the left wants to take the California model and use that as a template for America’s collapse, to not let you grow and build.”
