Members of law enforcement lay flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Robb Elementary School. Credit: Photo by Joseph Guillen

Republicans continue to oppose a call by Democrats to hold a special legislative session about gun violence, according to responses to a poll of lawmakers conducted by the Florida Department of State.

Lawmakers will have until 3 p.m. Friday to respond to the poll. As of Wednesday, only 10 Republican lawmakers, including incoming House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, had responded.

All 10 opposed the idea of a special session. Democrats used a legal procedure to require the poll.

A special session would be held if it receives support from 60 percent of the members of the House and Senate, both of which are dominated by Republicans.

After mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, Democrats want lawmakers to address issues of universal background checks, expanding “red-flag” laws and regulating high-capacity rifle magazines.

This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2022.