Florida attorney general candidate on Parkland: ‘Let’s not let this tragedy take away our right to bear arms’

At 12:31 p.m. Monday, state Rep. Jay Fant, a candidate for attorney general, tweeted that liberals are using the Parkland school shooting to push a political agenda.

At 12:32, Fant, R-Jacksonville, tweeted, "The Parkland killer has taken away enough from us. Let's not let this tragedy take away our right to bear arms too."

Fant used the tweets to call out Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum — a favorite conservative target. Like many Florida liberals, Gillum has been active in calling for gun control measures in the wake of the Valentine's Day shooting.

The AG candidate's next two tweets focused on his perception that gun rights in Florida could be under attack. (Gillum's response to Fant's tweets: "Bless your heart, Representative.")

The Times/Herald reported Monday that Florida lawmakers were considering increasing age limits and extending waiting periods for certain assault weapons.

Some 100 students from Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are set to tour the Florida Capitol on Tuesday and Wednesday. Jacyln Corin, the trip's organizer and Douglas' 11th grade class president, tweeted Monday that her classmates would lobby for a number of measures, including a ban on the manufacture and sale of assault weapons.

Read more: Florida Republicans are turning Attorney General contest into race to the right