Florida Rep. Darren Soto on the Loophole that Led to the Parkland Shooting
The prevalence of gun violence in the U.S., especially at its schools, has turned even some moderate legislators into staunch supporters of stricter gun control laws.
Democrat Darren Soto, a representative from Florida’s 9th district, was one of them.
“As a lawyer who got into the state legislature, I was always a strong advocate of our Constitutional rights,” the congressman told Cheddar on Thursday, the day after a gunman killed 17 students and teachers at a Parkland, Fla., high school.
“But when Sandy Hook happened, I really got the full sense of the horror and the tragedy of these mass shootings. That was when I was in the Florida House. And from then, I really took a turn to fight for many different gun reforms.”
Soto’s comments come as Nikolas Cruz was charged with 17 counts of murder for the Parkland shooting. The nineteen-year-old was reportedly part of a white supremacist group and had previously posted videos and social media messages showing him with a variety of guns and claiming he wanted to be a “professional school shooter.”
President Trump addressed the shooting Thursday morning, calling for steps to address mental illness, but did not mention anything about gun control.
That may not have come as a surprise to Soto, who spoke with Cheddar before the President made his statement. He said Republicans have blocked hearings on a number of measures sponsored by Democrats, from closing the gun show loophole to preventing those on the no-fly list from buying weapons to a ban on so-called bump stocks.
And one of those bills might have prevented Wednesday's events.
"How did this young man get guns as a troubled youth?" he asked. "I suspect it could have been this gun show loophole. It could have been a personal exchange. Therefore there is no background check and no ability to police folks who normally wouldn't get firearms getting them through this glaring loophole."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-darren-soto-d-fl-calls-for-action-after-another-unspeakable-tragedy).
Every few years, the Olympics roll around to prove that, yes, the world’s best athletes can jump farther, swim faster, and generally crush records that would’ve been impossible just a few decades ago. Take ski jumping - the world record has increased by well over 200 meters in fewer than 100 years. Responsible for this is a lot of intentional engineering of equipment and hills, but perhaps the biggest change is thanks to one act of human daring. Watch to find out how!
Add FIFA to the list of organizations announcing a break with Russia. The world soccer authority has suspended the nation from competing in the 2022 World Cup tournament, while the NHL also announced suspending business relations with Russia. Executive editor and senior writer at Sports Illustrated, Jon Wertheim, joined Cheddar News to discuss the rebukes. "I think a big element of this is, this is a way to really hit at Putin because we know how much this appearance of strength and the victory… often portrayed through sports, how much that means to him," he said. "This will bother him in a way that it might not bother other world leaders."
The Winter Olympics is slowly winding down with a lot of competition left. Boston Globe Reporter Nicole Yang, joined Cheddar to discuss more on what we can expect to see and some of the hiccups surrounding the games this year.
Rohit Ponnaiya, betting analysts for Covers.com, discusses the impact Juwan Howard's suspension will have on Michigan and dishes out his picks for Thursday's top college hoops contests.
Ryan Cochran-Siegl earned his silver medal 50 years after his mother won gold in the 1972 Olympic games. Coming in a close second in the men's Super-G, he was the first American skier to snag a medal at the Beijing games this year. J.D. Durkin sat down with Ryan to discuss the highlights from the games, his road to the Olympics, and how he's gearing up for his next shot at gold.
Ben Wittenstein, podcast host for Stadium, joins Cheddar Bets to break down his favorite win total bets for the last quarter of the NBA season. Ben also plays a round of Pick 6.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Today, Apolo Ohno is much more than a former Olympian. He's an entrepreneur, sports analyst, speaker, and New York Times bestseller. His latest book, 'Hard Pivot,' is a guide for any person learning to adapt or wanting to reinvent themselves, just as Ohno did over a decade ago. Ohno joins Cheddar News to discuss.
