In response to reports that the FBI did not act on a tip about the alleged perpetrator of the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, Orlando-area entrepreneur and Democratic candidate for governor Chris King issued the following statement:
“I’m troubled to learn the FBI mishandled a tip that could have prevented the tragedy in Parkland. We need to take a hard look at the policies that allowed this young man to slip through the cracks and change the laws that let him buy an assault weapon.
“It will be too easy for the leaders in Tallahassee who take their orders from the NRA to blame anyone but themselves. It was on their watch that Florida turned into a petri dish for NRA experimentation and our mental health care spending fell to 50th out of 50 states.
“We cannot allow those who hold the levers of power in Tallahassee to use the FBI’s failure in this case as an excuse to do again what they have done after two decades of mass shootings: nothing. I will be a governor who brings fresh ideas to Tallahassee and new leadership that stands up to the gun lobby.”
