Today’s Friday Five (read: rant) is about what happened this past Wednesday when the House summarily dismissed HB219, a bill sponsored by Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith that would have banned assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Representative Randy Fine then went on CNN to state why he and his fellow Republicans voted down the debate before it happened despite MSD High School students being present (although he somewhat comically claims to not have known they were there). After seeing this live on television while getting ready for work yesterday morning, I had to respond.

If you listen to this, please contact your local legislators and demand that they at least hear these bills. If they vote them down–which they most likely will–then so be it. But by allowing the debate to be had, it will be a small step in the right direction for the victims of the mass shooting in Parkland.