Florida lawmaker Randy Fine says Biden will "learn" if anyone tries to take away guns
A Florida lawmaker stirred controversy after he tweeted President Biden will "learn" if guns are taken away, less than a day following the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two adults dead.
On Tuesday, Biden condemned the shooting hours after it happened, and urged Congress to pass "common-sense" gun laws. But the president's speech seemingly triggered Florida state Rep. Randy Fine, a Republican who fired off a tweet Wednesday that appeared to come across as a threat toward Biden.
"I have news for the embarrassment that claims to be our President—try to take our guns and you'll learn why the Second Amendment was written in the first place," said Fine, who represents part of Brevard County.
I have news for the embarrassment that claims to be our President — try to take our guns and you’ll learn why the Second Amendment was written in the first place.
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) May 25, 2022
Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell and legal analyst Joyce Alene took his comment as a threat, with the latter tagging Secret Service in a tweet.
"This is the language of fascism, not democracy. In a democracy, we don't threaten the president with guns (hi@SecretService) & we understand our rights must be balanced in a way that protects people," she wrote on Twitter.
However, Fine later denied it was a threat, and explained that he thought it was "inappropriate" for Biden to talk about gun control.
"If they are going to start this, they cannot expect us to sit silently while they try to strip our Second Amendment rights," Fine told reporters.
The Republican legislator is also in favor of permit-less carry, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he would sign constitutional carry legislation if he's given a bill, according to CBS Miami.
While Biden did not specifically say anything about taking away guns, the Texas school shooting reignited the debate over gun reform – yet again – in the United States. A recent CBS News poll found 54% of Americans want laws covering the sale of guns made more strict.