{"id":2448433,"date":"2025-06-17T14:33:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-17T18:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/byron-donalds-targets-david-jolly-on-gun-control-stance-as-florida-governors-race-heats-up-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T14:36:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T18:36:18","slug":"byron-donalds-targets-david-jolly-on-gun-control-stance-as-florida-governors-race-heats-up-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/byron-donalds-targets-david-jolly-on-gun-control-stance-as-florida-governors-race-heats-up-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Byron Donalds targets David Jolly on gun control stance as Florida governor\u2019s race heats up &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbyron-donalds-targets-david-jolly-on-gun-control-stance-as-florida-governors-race-heats-up-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2448433&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In the ongoing race for Florida governor, Republican Representative Byron Donalds has strongly criticized his Democratic opponent, David Jolly, for his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-depth-republican-trifecta-in-tennessee-didnt-stop-chaos-during-special-session\/\" title=\"Tennessee...s ... Trifecta Failed to Prevent Chaos in Special Session.\">proposed gun control measures<\/a>. Jolly has outlined a platform that includes tighter regulations on firearms such as requiring liability insurance for gun owners, banning assault weapons, adn global background checks on all gun transactions, even among family members. <\/p>\n<p>In response, Donalds positions himself as a staunch advocate for second Amendment rights, distancing himself from Jolly&#8217;s assertions by labeling him a &#8220;gun-grabbing radical leftist.&#8221; Donalds aims to portray himself as the defender of pro-gun policies in a state that has seen calls for stricter gun laws following incidents like the Parkland school shooting in 2018, which prompted the implementation of new regulations. <\/p>\n<p>Jolly, who argues that current regulations fall short and criticizes Donalds for wanting to roll back existing laws, emphasizes a need for more extensive gun safety measures.He aims to appeal to gun owners and promote a coalition that transcends customary party lines, portraying himself as a pluralist willing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-announces-gun-control-executive-orders\/\" title=\"Joe Biden announces ... executive orders\">tackle gun violence<\/a> while also supporting lower corporate taxes. This contrast between the two candidates highlights a importent divide on gun control in the upcoming election.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Byron Donalds targets David Jolly on gun control stance as Florida governor&rsquo;s race heats up&nbsp;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2143878\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/byron-donalds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Byron Donalds<\/a> (R-FL), a gubernatorial candidate seeking to succeed Gov. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ron-desantis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Ron DeSantis<\/a> (R-FL), denounced his Democratic rival <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3443969\/byron-donalds-david-jolly-florida-governor-race-ad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">David Jolly<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >supporting sweeping gun control measures<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Over the weekend, Jolly detailed the bones of his campaign for Florida governor during a series of interviews that elaborated on his stance on guns. Policies espoused by the Democratic candidate include requiring liability insurance for firearm owners, banning assault weapons, and mandating universal background checks on every gun transaction &mdash; even those from &ldquo;father to son, grandfather to grandchild.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3444338\/steve-hilton-mocks-newsom-brief-rebranding\/\">Steve Hilton mocks Newsom&#8217;s brief rebranding: &#8216;He didn&#8217;t do anything&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3444130\/democrats-dnc-squabbles-as-bruised-egos-and-minuscule\/\">Democrats brush off intra-DNC squabbles as &#8216;bruised egos&#8217; and &lsquo;minuscule&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3444295\/wisconsin-supreme-court-gop-law-weakened-state-ag\/\">Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously rules against GOP law that weakened state AG powers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Donalds, the only Republican in the race so far ahead of the 2026 elections, targeted Jolly over his positions in comments to the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that positioned the congressman as a candidate who will protect Second Amendment rights in his red state.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;David Jolly is just another gun-grabbing radical leftist,&rdquo; Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Byron Donalds Campaign, said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He wants to impose the most sweeping gun control in Florida&rsquo;s history. Byron Donalds is a fearless advocate for the Second Amendment. He is 100% pro-gun and will uphold and defend Floridians&rsquo; constitutional right to bear arms,&rdquo; Smith continued.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The comments from the Donalds campaign come in response to interviews Jolly conducted over the weekend, in which he articulated his stance on gun control, saying he was &ldquo;actually for broader background checks than most Democrats.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m for an assault weapons ban, I&rsquo;m for licensing, registration, and insuring,&rdquo; Jolly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.orlandosentinel.com\/2025\/06\/16\/democratic-governor-candidate-says-hell-seek-support-from-florida-gun-owners-and-stricter-gun-regulations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> the <em>Orlando Sentinel<\/em>. &ldquo;Access, largely unlimited, unrestricted access to firearms, is the problem. &hellip; When Republicans suggest that guns aren&rsquo;t the problem, people are the problem, they&rsquo;re lying to you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Florida implemented new gun control laws after the Parkland school shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, and left 17 people dead and another 17 injured.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But Jolly said those measures don&rsquo;t go far enough and has attacked DeSantis and Donalds for supporting efforts to roll back some regulations.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Look in Florida, Byron Donalds &hellip; is also way wrong on guns,&rdquo; he said during a recent<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopiumchronicles.com\/p\/putting-florida-back-in-play-my-conversation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> interview<\/a> with the <em>Hopium Chronicles<\/em>. &ldquo;You know, Florida actually passed a post-Parkland package that included red flag laws, raising the age of purchase of some firearms from 18 to 21. Donald wants to roll all that back. Byron Donalds is against the Parkland Republican-led <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-judiciary-chairman-says-gun-control-is-top-priority\/\" title=\"Senate Judiciary Chairman Says ... Is \u2018Top Priority\u2019\">gun violence prevention<\/a> package.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Florida&rsquo;s existing background checks &ldquo;are neither comprehensive nor universal. There are carveouts all through them. It basically is a check on criminal convictions,&rdquo; the Democratic gubernatorial candidate added. The regulations should be amended to include &ldquo;law enforcement activity around the individual that was never prosecuted, and no charges were brought.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In another<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/governor-candidate-david-jolly-says-090546028.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> interview<\/a> with the <em>Pensacola News Journal<\/em>, Jolly rejected the label of moderate or centrist, explaining that he views himself as a pluralist attempting to build a new coalition of voters to expand the Democratic Party&rsquo;s influence in Florida.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;&ldquo;I need to be able to go to gun owners and say, &lsquo;Look, I know gun owners aren&rsquo;t the problem, but if we strengthen our gun laws, we&rsquo;ll save your kids, just like we&rsquo;ll save ours,&rsquo;&rdquo; Jolly said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m for lower corporate taxes, but more gun violence prevention. That makes me to the right on one issue and to the left on another. We could go down the list, and you&rsquo;re going to find me all over the left-right spectrum. I am in a post-ideological space. This is about bold solutions to big problems.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Democrat, once a Republican member of Congress, said he&rsquo;s seeking to be intentional in talking to gun owners across the state about firearms regulations instead of dismissing them as impossible votes, as Democrats have traditionally done.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this Oct. 20, 2015, photo, then-U.S. Rep. David Jolly speaks to media after showing up at a news conference for former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris O&rsquo;Meara, file)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3443969\/byron-donalds-david-jolly-florida-governor-race-ad\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">DONALDS RIPS DEMOCRATIC RIVAL IN FLORIDA GOVERNOR RACE WITH RELEASE OF NEW AD: &lsquo;JOLLY HAS LOST HIS MIND&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Gun owners are not the problem. Our gun laws are,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;&ldquo;And we need to further strengthen our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gun-control-groups-applaud-bidens-nomination-of-ketanji-brown-jackson\/\" title=\"... Groups Applaud Biden&#039;s Nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson\">gun violence prevention laws<\/a>. And if we do that, we will protect the children of gun owners just as we protect the children of non-gun owners.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to the Jolly campaign for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2143878\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2143878\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Byron Donalds criticizes David Jolly&#8217;s gun control views in Florida governor race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2448434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/david-jolly-florida.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[32322,56591,50385],"class_list":["post-2448433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-byron-donalds","tag-david-jolly","tag-gun-control-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/david-jolly-florida.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2448433"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448437,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2448433\/revisions\/2448437"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2448434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2448433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2448433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2448433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}