Florida has a C- on the Giffords Annual Gun Law Scorecard, but voters have proven that gun violence is a priority. These gun safety champions have made gun violence prevention a priority of their campaigns, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in Tallahassee.

Adam Benna (FL HD-114): Whether as a congressional aide, as a Miami-Dade prosecutor, or in private practice, Adam Benna has devoted his life to serving others. Now Benna is hoping to bring his passion for helping others to the Florida State House where we know he will be an ardent advocate for gun violence prevention policies that will keep his constituents safe. At every step of Benna’s career he has used his platform to promote gun safety and commonsense gun laws. While working in Congress, Benna saw the heartbreaking consequences of gun violence firsthand when Trayvon Martin was shot in his Congressional district. In the weeks and months after the killing, he spent time with Martin’s family to help them through unbearable pain that no family should ever have to experience. A gun owner himself, Benna believes in responsible gun ownership and knows that most gun owners support sensible, popular gun reform legislation. In the state house, he will defend the Second Amendment while fighting for legislation—such as universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders—that would keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people and create a safer Florida for all. 

Lindsay Cross (HD-60): Lindsay Cross is an environmental scientist who has spent her career working to keep Floridians safe by protecting the state’s water and economy. If elected to the state legislature, she’ll continue this mission by working to pass comprehensive gun safety legislation to protect Florida communities from senseless violence. Cross knows that our legislators must do more to ensure that mass shootings and everyday gun violence are no longer a routine occurrence in the United States, and she’s determined to pass commonsense solutions like universal background checks in Tallahassee. In office, Cross will be a check on the dangerous power of the gun lobby, and she will oppose any efforts to expand concealed carry to schools or weaken Florida’s existing gun safety laws.

Janet Cruz (FL SD-18): A fourth generation Tampa native, State Senator Janet Cruz ran for the state legislature as a fierce advocate for stronger schools for our students, affordable and accessible healthcare for every family, and small businesses. In 2018, as minority leader in the Florida State House, Senator Cruz led the effort to pass gun violence prevention legislation that imposed a waiting period for purchases of long guns, raised the minimum age for purchasing long-guns to 21, and included funding to improve school security. Term-limited in the state house, Senator Cruz challenged and defeated an NRA-backed incumbent for a seat in the Florida Senate, where she has continued her work as a steadfast advocate for commonsense gun violence prevention legislation. In the wake of the tragic shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Senator Cruz called for a special session of the legislature to address measures like banning high-capacity rifle magazines, instituting universal background checks, and strengthening Florida’s extreme risk protection order laws. She has spent her life as a crusader for public safety and Florida’s communities, and we know Senator Janet Cruz will continue to advocate for lifesaving gun safety legislation until all Floridians can live free from senseless gun violence. 

AJ D’Amico (FL HD-113): AJ D’Amico is the son of a Cuban exile who sought a better life in Miami, Florida. When D’Amico was a student at Florida State University, an armed gunman shot three people in his campus library. Struck by the pain of this tragedy, D’Amico became a supporter of commonsense gun laws to decrease the chances that another community would feel the same pain that his did. This direct experience with gun violence gave him a unique perspective in his subsequent role as a legislative aide in the Florida Senate, where he played a key part in blocking legislation that would have put more lives at risk by permitting individuals to carry firearms on college campuses, courthouses, and airports. As a millennial, D’Amico represents a new generation of leaders that are committed to overcoming the gun violence epidemic facing Florida and the nation once and for all. He knows that a majority of Floridians support gun safety legislation, and he’s running to be their voice in Tallahassee—where he’ll be undaunted in fighting for real change.

Dan Daley (HD-96): State Representative Dan Daley is an alum of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who has worked diligently to channel the pain of his community into action since he was first elected in 2019. In office, he has been a champion for gun safety reforms and always pushed for the passage of legislation to end the scourge of gun violence. In particular, Representative Daley has introduced numerous bills to honor the students whose lives were tragically cut short in the violent mass shooting in Parkland—including Jaime’s Law, which would institute background checks on all individuals purchasing ammunition. As a vocal opponent of permitless carry, Representative Daley knows that allowing anyone to carry a deadly weapon increases the risk of senseless gun violence and if reelected, he will do all he can to make sure this radical proposal does not become law.

Anna Eskamani (FL HD-42): State Representative Anna Eskamani is a fighter for hard-working Florida families, and she’s committed to ending gun violence in America. She was an early member of the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, and for the past four years, she’s been a gun violence prevention champion in the Florida State House. In 2016, Representative Eskamani’s community was devastated by the Pulse nightclub massacre, and Orlando began to honor those no longer with us through action and meaningful reform on gun safety. Two years later, Representative Eskamani ran for office as a first-time candidate, replacing a pro-NRA politician. In office, she has led the charge in keeping guns out of the hands of those who commit domestic abuse, held the gun lobby accountable to its corrupt finances, worked to secure mental health funding for survivors of gun violence, and co-sponsored Florida’s Assault Weapons Ban. Representative Anna Eskamani knows that Floridians deserve to feel safe in all public spaces, and she will never stop working until that dream is a reality. 

Ashley Gantt (FL HD-109): State Representative-elect Ashley Gantt is a Miami native, former educator, and attorney. Though she is proud of her diverse experiences, her role as an educator began her passion to advocate for gun violence prevention with the loss of former students. In 2021, Gantt, like far too many others, lost a loved one to senseless gun violence. That loss propelled her into a different mission: supporting candidates that advocated for commonsense gun safety reforms. Frustrated at the inaction of the Florida state legislature, Gantt decided to run for the state house to advocate for lifesaving policies. As a representative, one of her top priorities will be to not only implement policy, but also to work within the community to find solutions to gun violence. Ashley Gantt knows that together, we can ensure that no other community feels the pain of losing a loved one. She understands that popular policies such as universal background checks and stronger extreme risk protection order laws will save lives for generations to come. 

Carlos Guillermo-Smith (FL HD-49): For State Representative Carlos Guillermo-Smith, the fight to end gun violence is personal. On June 12, 2016, a gunman walked into Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, and killed 49 people, devastating the Orlando community. After the shooting, Representative Guillermo-Smith turned his immense pain into action and ran for the Florida State House, becoming the first openly LGBTQ Latino lawmaker elected to the legislative body. The very first bill he introduced was legislation to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and large capacity magazines like those used in the tragedy at Pulse. Six years later, Representative Guillermo-Smith has proven himself to be a national leader on gun violence prevention who will never stop working to pass bold gun safety reforms. He continues to stand with March For Our Lives and Parkland students, and he understands that a comprehensive approach is necessary to make a real impact on reducing gun violence in our communities. That’s why he has co-sponsored and championed legislation to enact other commonsense solutions, such as universal background checks and extreme risk protection order laws to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous people. Representative Carlos Guillermo-Smith recognizes the value of responsible gun ownership, and promotes safe storage legislation that would prevent tragic accidents. Time and again, he has proven himself to be a gun safety champion, and we know he will continue to fight for the safety of Floridians. 

Shevrin Jones (FL SD-35): Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones is a leading voice for gun safety who has dedicated his life to building stronger, safer communities. After graduating from Florida A&M University, he became a high school teacher and saw firsthand the impact gun violence has on children and families. That perspective drove him to run for public office in 2012, and since 2013, Senator Jones has served in the Florida legislature and built a reputation as a consensus builder who gets results. He has championed meaningful legislation, including sponsoring bills to repeal the state’s Stand Your Ground law and to establish an Urban Core Gun Violence Task Force to investigate the causes of high crime and gun violence incidents in urban core communities and neighborhoods. When Florida Republicans attempted to arm teachers in schools, Senator Jones led the opposition, and following the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, he championed commonsense solutions to keep Florida communities safe—including successfully raising the purchase age for firearms and passing extreme risk protection order laws to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Senator Shevrin Jones is an effective voice for gun safety, and his constituents know they can count on him to advance real change. 

Andrew Learned (HD-69): State Representative Andrew Learned has built a life on serving his community. As a naval officer, he has intimate experience with assault rifles and has seen the damage they can cause when they fall into the wrong hands. He carried an M-4 rifle on three deployments to the Middle East and while he needed an assault rifle for that job, he certainly doesn’t in his current job or in his kids’ school. As such, he co-sponsored HB 199, which would ban assault weapons and take a step towards preventing senseless gun violence in Florida. Representative Learned knows that commonsense gun safety legislation works, and he will do everything in his power to implement universal background checks and to close the dangerous loopholes in our law that put his constituents at risk. If reelected, Representative Learned will fight back against any efforts that would make Florida less safe—especially the implementation of permitless carry legislation, which would allow individuals to carry concealed firearms in public without a background check or having to go through a licensing process.

Johanna López (FL HD-43): As a mother, teacher, and member of the Orange County School Board, Johanna López has worked to empower the most vulnerable students, fought to increase benefits and ensure equitable pay for teachers and school staff, and successfully led the renaming of Stonewall Jackson Middle School to Roberto Clemente Middle School. She has also publicly advocated against the arming of teachers and in favor of protecting our students from gun violence. Frustrated at the inaction of the Florida legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis on gun safety, López is running for the state house to turn her activism into action and to be a gun violence prevention champion for Orange County families. She strongly believes that guns in schools make everyone less safe, and she supports expanding mental health services in our school system and educating all members of the community on violence intervention programs to address the root causes of gun violence. López also supports popular measures like universal background checks and stronger extreme risk protection order laws that decrease the chances that community members will lose their lives to senseless gun violence. We know Johanna López will fight for lifesaving legislation that will make a real difference for students, their families, and community members at large. 

Raquel Pacheco (FL SD-36): As a refugee who came to the United States at the age of 10, Raquel Pacheco has a deep appreciation for America as a land of opportunity. At 19, Pacheco joined the Army National Guard and became the first Female Soldier of the Year. Her dedication to public service hasn’t wavered since, and as a 25-year small business owner, the chair of the City of Miami Beach’s Personnel Board, and the president of Miami Beach United, she has seen the power of hard work in making real change. Now, she is seeking public office to do even more good for the people of Miami and continue her service in a new way. Pacheco is a strong supporter of gun safety reforms and believes in the power of commonsense laws as a means to save lives. As a veteran, she believes weapons of war should only be used on the battlefield by well-trained service members, and knows that firearms should be better regulated in order to prevent future tragedies. As a mother, she lives in fear of her son’s school being the next site of a tragic mass shooting, and in Tallahassee, she’ll fight for needed legislation to keep our children safe. 

Janelle Perez (FL SD-38): In 2015, Janelle Perez was diagnosed with what her physicians told her was an incurable form of cancer, but after nearly three years of chemotherapy, Perez had beaten the odds and won. Inspired by her parents—Cuban exiles who embody the American dream—she became a business owner, helping to lead a company that provides thousands better access to healthcare. Now, she’s bringing her fight to the Florida State Senate, where we know she will always advocate for solutions that will keep her constituents safe from the threat of gun violence. She knows there is more to be done to protect our kids—and she supports commonsense bipartisan solutions like universal background checks and gun licensing requirements because they are proven to save lives. As a mother of two young girls, Perez is laser-focused on fighting back against America’s epidemic of gun violence in the same way her doctors fought her cancer: with effective, science-based solutions that prioritize life. As a state legislator, she will work with parents, teachers, healthcare workers, and advocates to solve this problem once and for all, so that every Floridian can have the same chances to live, succeed, and thrive in a free and safe world.

We are proud to endorse these 13 candidates for the Florida Legislature.