After Iowa school shooting, Ron DeSantis says gun violence is a 'local and state issue'
DES MOINES, Iowa — Hours after multiple people were shot at a high school in Perry, Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said gun violence should be addressed at the state and local level — without any new federal restrictions on firearms.
"We obviously have a responsibility to create safe environments," DeSantis said in an exclusive interview with the Des Moines Register and NBC News. "The federal government is probably not going to be leading that effort, I think it is more of a local and state issue, but we've shown how it's done in Florida."
Multiple people were shot at Perry High School on Thursday morning, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante said at a news conference. The situation was still developing as DeSantis met with Des Moines Register and NBC News reporters in Des Moines.
DeSantis recalled the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a former student opened fire and killed 17 people.
DeSantis began his first term as governor in 2019. Since then, he said, Florida has spent more than $1 billion on school security. DeSantis also signed a bill to lower the threshold for capital punishment after the Parkland shooter was spared the death penalty.
"People can count on me to hold criminals accountable, be very serious about holding accountable people that represent a danger to society, but at the same time, protecting their constitutional rights," DeSantis said Thursday.
DeSantis pointed to an "underlying sickness in society" that leads to individuals committing violent acts.
"For whatever reason, there are people in our society that really get a kick out of doing this. … That's an underlying sickness in society, and I think that involves things like mental health," he said.
What has Ron DaSantis done on guns, school safety?
Florida has passed several laws since the 2018 Parkland shooting to prepare schools for future emergencies.
Schools are required to partner with law enforcement agencies to hire an armed officer for every school facility, and a 2023 law allows schools to request a firearm detection dog.
Last year, DeSantis also signed a law to loosen regulations on carrying a concealed weapon in Florida. Known as "permitless carry" or "constitutional carry," the law allows anyone who can legally own a gun to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, although guns are still prohibited on school grounds.
After the Parkland shooter was spared the death penalty by a divided jury, DeSantis changed Florida's law and eliminated the unanimous jury requirement for capital punishment.
Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed reporting.
Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.