• Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for a Special Session to further expand gun rights. During a campaign event in Georgia, an activist asked DeSantis, “will you call a Special Session for open carry?” DeSantis’ response was clear. “If I can get the votes.”

• Video of the comment was quickly shared by gun activist Matt Collins. The remarks came the same day the Legislature passed a permitless carry bill DeSantis has said he will sign. That bill (HB 543) will eliminate any requirement for concealed carry licenses to bring a firearm to public settings, but would still require guns to be concealed.

• But hard-line Second Amendment activists have said the legislation doesn’t go far enough. Some groups have suggested allowing the Legislature to stop with permitless carry will be a political liability as DeSantis considers a run for President.

• “By signing a bill that keeps open carry illegal, DeSantis is putting political expediency ahead of the full Second Amendment rights of Floridians,” said Sean Themea, Chief of Staff at Young Americans for Liberty. “This was a chance for him to stand up to the RINOs in his own Legislature and demand a clean bill. If he can’t do that in his own state, how can gun owners trust him to do that at the national level?”

• DeSantis has long signaled he would sign open carry, but also said this week he won’t reject permitless carry.

• “In terms of the constitutional carry, I’m for everything,” DeSantis said. “But if they (the Legislature) send me something that is 90% or 80%, I mean, I’m going to take that win and we can come back for more at some time in the future.”

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, stealing some of the attention from Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing’s peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have already criticized.

The two visits, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) apart, highlighted the nearly 13-month-old war’s repercussions for international diplomacy as countries line up behind Moscow or Kyiv. Kishida, who will chair the Group of Seven summit in May, met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and paid tribute to those killed in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians.

After talks with Xi, Putin said a Chinese peace plan could provide a basis for a settlement of the fighting in Ukraine when the West is ready for it, but he added that Kyiv’s Western allies have shown no interest in that.

U.S. officials have said any peace plan coming from the Putin-Xi meeting would be unacceptable because a cease-fire would only ratify Moscow’s territorial conquests and give Russia time to plan for a renewed offensive.

“It looks like the West indeed intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian,” Putin said after his talks with Xi. He said the latest threat is a British plan to provide Ukraine with tank rounds containing depleted uranium. “If that happens, Russia will respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component.”

He did not elaborate. Putin has occasionally warned that Russia would use all available means, including possibly nuclear weapons, to defend itself, but also has sometimes backed off such threats.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – State Senator Geraldine Thompson is scheduled to speak on her Tyre Sampson Act bill (SB 902) and Public Records/Active Amusement Ride Investigation bill (SB 904) in the State Senate Agriculture Committee at 3:30pm ET today.

Shortly before the hearing, Sen. Thompson spoke with the press to clarify what the SB 902 bill proposes for amusement parks.

Here are some of the requirements:

– signage for height and weight requirements
– an annual affidavit and a third party to inspect rides and commission approving the ride
– a duty to report to Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) after permit to operate
– training (beyond having 18-year-olds with limited training operating the ride)
– perform maintenance and changes (due to metal fatigue, etc.); there will be unannounced and more frequent inspections
– require seatbelts on any ride that goes above 100 feet (Freefall ride didn’t require seatbelts with the other restraint)
– accident reporting (for any emergency care, including Urgent Care centers, not just hospitals)

When Florida National News asked what her initial reaction was when she learned during the investigation that the Freefall ride had no safety belts, she replied, “I’m surprised…I don’t think you should put profits over people. For an additional $20-50 dollars, you could’ve secured the safety of Tyre Sampson [with a safety belt]. Therefore, I decided to amend the bill to require a seatbelt as a redundancy, and not just have it as an option.”

FNN News also asked who would be responsible for choosing the third party inspector for the rides. Sen. Thompson explained that the company can choose and would be responsible for paying for 3rd party based on the criteria for third party inspectors in the legislation. We followed up asking what would happen if companies push back on having to not only allow for more and unannounced inspections and then also be responsible for paying for them. She replied that companies will have to include these inspection costs in their budgets. “How do you put a price on the life of an individual?” she asked.

Sen. Thompson was asked about her public records exemption request for the investigation of the Free Fall Ride on International Drive in the death of 14-year-old Tyre Sampson almost a year ago. She explained that she requested the exemption because the investigation wasn’t completed. Once it was, the records were made available, and she added that the fines charged could only be made available at the end of the investigation.

So how would this legislation affect older rides and new rides if it becomes law? Sen. Thompson explained that, if it becomes law, it would apply to any ride launched after July 1, 2023. In fact, it would also affect carnival rides. “Every time you move a temp ride, an inspection would be required–at fairs and carnivals; also go-carts, and bungee jumping rides.”

When asked about her thoughts on the ride being taken down near the anniversary of Tyre Sampson’s death, she replied, “This says that it’s not business as usual. The State of Florida is taking this very seriously. We’re communicating very clearly that this is not business as usual and honoring this young man’s life by calling it the Tyre Sampson Act.”

Sen. Thompson says this bill is expected to have bipartisan support. She mentioned that she has spoken to the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and noted that this is not a partisan issue, but a public safety issue.

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Mellissa Thomas is the Editor of Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com