This week on Florida Matters, Americans are once again wrestling with the horror of gun violence, in the aftermath of recent mass shootings at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, a grocery store in Buffalo, New York and a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rallies are being planned across the country this weekend by March for Our Lives, the organization that emerged from the shootings at South Florida's Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland four years ago.
Attempts at the national level to pass significant gun control legislation — such as universal background checks or restrictions on the types of rifles that are often used in mass shootings — have failed, due to opposition from Republican lawmakers.
But there is still some hope for bipartisan gun reform.
RELATED: On Gun Violence Awareness Day, Tampa area residents call for stricter gun laws and safer schools
And amid the calls for legislative action, there’s also renewed focus on laws that Florida passed after Parkland, including so-called red flags to temporarily remove guns from people regarded likely to pose a threat to themselves or others.
We’ll hear from Tampa Bay regional residents about what needs to change to stem the tide of gun violence. WUSF reporter Stephanie Colombini spoke to attendees at a rally against gun violence in Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park last Friday.
And we’ll talk with St. Petersburg Police Chief Tony Holloway about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to curbing gun violence.
Later in the show — with the special session on property insurance in the rear view mirror — can homeowners expect some relief from skyrocketing premiums? Tampa Bay Times correspondent Lawrence Mower explains what lawmakers did and didn’t do in the special session.
You can listen to host Matthew Peddie's conversations with Holloway and Mower by clicking on the “Listen” button above. Or you can listen on the WUSF app under “Programs & Podcasts.”
