TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The National Rifle Association is asking Florida lawmakers where they stand on gun issues.
An 11-question survey sent to Florida politicians is sparking controversy, with some Democrats taking offense to some of the issues it raises.
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“I have no interest in their questionnaire,” said gubernatorial candidate and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.
Anna Eskamani, a Democrat running for an Orlando House seat, shredded the NRA on Twitter for sending the questionnaire just two weeks before the date marking two years since the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Marion Hammer, with the NRA, said surveys such as this one are normal.
“When candidates ask you to vote for them, you have a right to know where they stand on your issues,” Hammer said.
Questions on the survey ask lawmakers whether they would support repealing many parts of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, including the ban on bump stocks, the three-day waiting period for firearm purchases and the new age limit to purchase guns.
Gillum said it’s despicable to suggest repealing those laws less than four months after the Parkland shooting.
“And yet the NRA is already attempting to shake down and intimidate lawmakers into bending to their will,” Gillum said. "Well, they won't get that here.”
But the NRA said the response from Democrats is typical.
“This is not the first time Democrats have had seizures over getting a questionnaire from the NRA,” Hammer said.
The NRA will use the responses to the survey to help inform the grade it gives to lawmakers.
The organization will also look back at previous votes taken on Second Amendment issues.
The NRA said it’s already begun to receive some of the surveys back from lawmakers.
The group expects most of the responses to come in closer to the deadline, which is in a few weeks.