Firearms banned at events with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has argued 'gun-free' zones are less safe

When a man identified by law enforcement as a white supremacist opened fire on Black patrons at a grocery store in upstate New York, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, refused to call for tighter controls on firearms.

At a June news conference, the Florida Phoenix reported that DeSantis said that mass shooters are bad people. He said that they are not dumb.

The Buffalo man tried to find a gun-free zone because he knew there wouldn't be backlash from people being armed.

Guns won't be allowed at the rallies in Arizona, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, which will feature Gov. DeSantis as the star speaker.

The "Unite & Win" rallies are being put on by Turning Point Action, the political advocacy arm of Turning Point USA, and will feature Florida's Ron DeSantis, as well as local Republicans trying to win elections in November.

According to listings for the events posted by Turning Point Action on EventBrite, attendees should be prepared for "airport-like screening." "ammunition, knives, projectiles, pepper spray, expandable batons, and firearms" are among the items that will be turned away by security.

There is to be no concealed weapons in the event zone.

Screenshot/Facebook

The founder of Turning Point USA has argued that a policy harms public safety. The group mocked the naivete of those who think gun-free zones deter gun violence.

The group said "'Gun-Free Zones' only help criminals!"

Kirk made a false claim that limits on the carrying of guns in public places makes them more dangerous. Since 1950, 97.8% of public mass shootings have taken place in gun-free zones.

There was no response from Turning Point USA or Turning Point Action.

"gun-free" policies don't correspond to greater security risks, according to research. Only 12% of mass shootings between 1966 and 2016 took place in a gun-free zone, and only 5% took place in areas where civilians were not allowed to carry a gun.

Guns are not allowed at Donald Trump's events. In May, the Secret Service told people to leave their guns at home if they wanted to listen to Trump speak.

Tell us about a news story. C Davis is the reporter for Insider.