Rep. Jared Moskowitz challenges Ron DeSantis, Adam Putnam to debate on guns

Florida Democrats had some harsh words Monday for two Republicans running for governor.

In a fiery conference call, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and state Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, called out Republicans Ron DeSantis and Adam Putnam for their stances on gun reform.

"It's pretty clear to anyone who spends five minutes looking at both the records of my colleague Congressman DeSantis and Adam Putnam that they've chosen their 'A' rating from the NRA over their concern about public safety, the lives of kids, the city of Parkland and the state of Florida," Deutch said. "And that makes them both unfit to serve as governor of this state."

Moskowitz called Putnam, Florida's agriculture commissioner, an "empty suit" who "hid in his office" during the recent gun debate in the Legislature. He slammed DeSantis, R-Palm Coast, for refusing to say whether he would sign the recently passed Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

The state representative even went so far as to challenge both Putnam and DeSantis to a debate on the legislation. Both Putnam and DeSantis have opposed parts of the bill. Putnam has said he doesn't support the provision that raised the gun purchasing age from 18 to 21, and DeSantis lamented the Legislature "rushing to restrict the rights of law-abiding citizens."

A DeSantis spokesman directed the Buzz to an interview the congressman gave to Fox News the day Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill. When asked whether he would have signed the bill, DeSantis said at the time, "I think I would have approached it a little bit different."

When asked whether DeSantis is interested in a debate with Moskowitz, the spokesman, Brad Herold, wrote a short text message reply: "No."

Putnam spokeswoman Amanda Bevis fired back at Moskowitz in a statement, pushing back on an incorrect claim made by the state Rep.

During the conference call, Moskowitz said, "As far as I know, Commissioner Putnam is the only one in the cabinet who has not even visited (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School)."

But an email, Bevis said: "It's no surprise the Democrats are selling a story full of untruths. If they did their research, they would know that Adam Putnam has in fact visited the school, has met with the students and mourned with them for their loss."

Putnam's press secretary, Adam Keller, provided a Feb. 20 schedule that detailed the commissioner's visit.

"It's the Democrats who are politicizing this tragedy – using falsehoods to further their own agenda of limiting our Second Amendment rights," Bevis said.

Moskowitz also criticized DeSantis for not meeting with Douglas survivors.

"Where is the guy? He hasn't been to Parkland. He hasn't been to Douglas. He hasn't met with the students. He hasn't met with the parents," Moskowitz said.

Herold, the DeSantis spokesman noted that Rep. DeSantis honored one of the shooting victims, Peter Wang, from the House floor in Washington, D.C.

Herold also noted that DeSantis voted to pass two pieces of legislation aimed at making schools safer, the STOP School Violence Act and the Fix NICS Act. The former shores up school security and mental health systems, and the latter plugs some holes in the federal gun background check system.

But Deutch said those bills should be the beginning of the national gun reform conversation, not the end.

"Neither one of these bills is a dramatic step forward," Deutch, who supports both measures, said. "We know what has to be done, and we cannot allow members of the House and the Senate who are so worried about the NRA to claim victory by passing a small piece of legislation."