"Thoughts and prayers" are the only thing that are going to stop mass shootings, Republican Florida state Sen. Kelli Stargel said during a debate on a proposed assault weapons ban in the legislature in Tallahassee, The Hill reported.
"When we say 'thoughts and prayers,' it's frowned upon," Stargel said. "And I take real offense at that because thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that's gonna stop the evil from within the individual who is taking up their arms to do this kind of a massacre."
The state senator insisted, "It's not the weapon that matters… [but] the evil from within" that makes people commit horrendous acts, such as last month's mass shooting at the Florida high school in which 17 people were murdered.
Following the debate, the Florida Senate voted down a bill to ban assault weapons, the Miami Herald reported.
"Are we going to ban fertilizer, which is what they used in the Oklahoma bombing?" Stargel asked, according to The Hill. "Are we going to ban pressure cookers, which is what they used in the Boston massacre? Are we going to ban the multiple handguns that were used in other assaults? Are we going to ban the sawed-off shotgun, as what was used in Columbine?"
Stargel said she has a comprehensive plan to address mass shootings by raising the minimum age for buying a gun to 21, studying the idea of arming teachers and conducting mental health checks for individuals with threatening behavior.
However, she emphasized that "the one thing that will actually change this the most, is the one thing that has become fighting words, which is to say 'thoughts and prayers.' So that's something I'm gonna continue to add to my comprehensive plan so we can hopefully stop the evil that is happening from within our world."
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