Senators Were Sent Tar, Feathers And Poop Emojis After Controversial Gun Bill

This week, Florida senators passed a bill that raised the age to buy a firearm from 18 to 21 and imposed a minimum three-day waiting period on gun purchases.

There has been a significant backlash to the bill, and some people have gone to the extent of sending senators jars of tar and feathers. This, of course, is a reference to how mobs will many times capture people and cover them with tar and feathers, a form of humiliation that sometimes turns to torture. This has been a method that has been used in many cultures throughout history.

Sen. René García, one of the supporters of the bill received one of the packages and later told reporters that, “They are tiny jars full of feathers with poop emojis in them.”

The packages had a note attached that said, “From the Children of Bradford County,” on one side, and “The tar and feather enemy of freedom award,” on the other. The Jars were also labeled with poop emojis on the lid.

Senate President Bill Galvano, the sponsor of the bill said that he and many other senators received the same package.

“It is related. Several of us received a jar of tar and feathers in our offices as a message of opposition to the bill,” Galvano said.

According to Katie Betta, a spokeswoman for Senate President Joe Negron, at least a dozen other senators received the jars, even a few who voted against the bill. Senator Lauren Book also received one of the packages and suspected that a “man with tattoos” made the delivery. According to her staff, the man said “There’s an award for you, violating the second amendment,” before leaving the office.

The sender of the packages was a mystery until Thursday, when local Libertarian candidate Ryan Ramsey, who is running for the House District 19 seat, announced that he was responsible for the deliveries.

Ramsey said that the jars were made by local children who he fears may be “the first generation to grow up in Florida after the death of the Second Amendment, due to the betrayal of Florida’s gun owners by the GOP.”

“The Bill of Rights is non-negotiable. They deserved the awards. Every Republican in the Florida House that votes for this bill will earn one too… and their names will be known to Florida voters in November,” Ramsey said.

This bill is not to be confused with the federal gun ban that we reported on last week, which would effectively ban semi-automatic weapons throughout the entire country.

In the fine print of the legislation, 205 weapons are specifically named for the ban, including the AK-47 and AR-15.

If passed, the bill would prohibit, “the sale, transfer, production, and importation” of the following:

-Semi-automatic rifles and pistols with a military-style feature that can accept a detachable magazine; 

-Semi-automatic rifles with a fixed magazine that can hold more than 10 rounds;

-Semi-automatic shotguns with a military-style feature;

-Any ammunition feeding device that can hold more than 10 rounds;

-And 205 specifically-named and listed firearms.

This bill would outright ban some of the most popular guns in the world, and seems to be gathering support from most people who are in favor of gun control.

Last week, Trump also turned his back on a large portion of his supporters who expected him to stay strong on the 2nd amendment.

“We’re going to be very strong on background checks. It’s not going to be talk like it has been in the past. It’s been going on too long. Too many instances, and were going to get it done,” Trump said.

Trump made similar posts to Twitter, saying that he was in support of stronger background checks and bans on bump stocks.

“I will be strongly pushing Comprehensive Background Checks with an emphasis on Mental Health. Raise age to 21 and end sale of Bump Stocks! Congress is in a mood to finally do something on this issue — I hope!” Trump Tweeted.

Image: Austin Knipper Florida Senate/FP.