Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis got into a heated debate with NBC News’ Kristen Welker over gun laws and background checks during an appearance on Sunday’s “Meet the Press.”
Welker pressed the Florida governor on enacting stricter background checks and gun restrictions after a devastating mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine which killed 18 people. Police found the suspect of the shooting, Robert Card, dead Friday night after conducting a massive manhunt in search of his whereabouts, according to reports.
The NBC News host pointed out that law enforcement received a statewide alert in mid-September to be on alert after Card allegedly made threats against his fellow army members, but was still able to purchase firearms legally. Card was released from a mental institution after reportedly having previously heard voices.
“If you can’t find someone to institutionalize them as you’ve called for, why shouldn’t there be a final line of defense in the form of a red flag law or some other blaring red sign that says to gun sellers, ‘Don’t allow this person to have a gun’?” Welker asked DeSantis.
“Well, I don’t even think you would need a red flag, if somebody has a mental involuntary commitment in an adjudication of that nature, that usually would go into the system and that would be on a traditional background check,” DeSantis said. “I mean, I believe in due process so I don’t believe that the government can just take someone’s property and just do due process later. But what I do believe is convicted felons and people that are mentally incompetent and mentally ill — I think that’s been the law in pretty much every state for quite some time and, I believe, strong, strong constitutional rights, but with that comes some responsibility.”
The governor said an individual’s mental state “should be taken into account” during a gun purchase. (RELATED: DeSantis Signs Florida Constitutional Carry Into Law)
“But if you can’t conduct yourself in terms of mental illness, shouldn’t there be a law? In this case, officials in Maine are saying a red flag law could have made a difference, it would have empowered authorities, raised that red light to gun sellers all across the state and say, ‘This is someone who should not be able to own a gun.’ That that final line of defense never kicked in because it didn’t exist, Governor?”
“Well, no, when you do background checks, if someone has a criminal conviction, for example, that goes into the system—” the governor said.
“But Maine doesn’t have strong background checks,” Welker interrupted. “It doesn’t have strong background checks.”
“No,” DeSantis hit back.
“Are you arguing for that?” she asked.
“Every federal — this is federal firearm licenses, you have to do — everyone has to go through, when they scrub this, the question is what are they putting into the system. Somebody has a mental health and involuntary commitment, that can simply be put into the existing system and you need additional things,” DeSantis said.
The governor criticized red flag laws and other gun restrictions for potentially being targeted against people the government does not like. He said anyone could make an “anonymous call” to a police station and falsely accuse someone of being an endangerment.
“But that anonymous call could have helped in this moment, could it not have, Governor? Couldn’t an anonymous call have helped in this moment to block this shooter from getting a gun and going into these establishments and shooting up 18 of his fellow citizens?” Welker interrupted.
“And he could have had that involuntary commitment put in the normal system and that is something that would’ve been able to pop on a background check,” DeSantis said.
Welker again asked how a suspect can be committed into an institution if they cannot be found. DeSantis reiterated that background information about a suspect should be immediately placed into the background check system.
The governor said the state of Florida is handling crime rates and shootings effectively as the crime rates are at a 50-year low. Welker then claimed the firearm and mortality rate rose under the DeSantis administration, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The what mortality rate?” DeSantis asked as Welker quickly tried to move on.
“The firearm mortality rate … was actually higher under your administration than your predecessors’,” Welker said. “That’s according to the CDC.”
“Well because you had COVID and all that stuff. That says mortality — is that what you’re saying? That went up everywhere in the country from 2020 on. Our excess mortality went up less than anybody—”
“The firearm mortality, the firearm mortality rate,” Welker interjected.
Maine has instituted a “yellow flag law,” which requires several steps before a gun can be taken away from a citizen in the state, NBC News reported.