School Guns Proposal Gets Florida State House OK
By The News Service of Florida // March 12, 2014
bill would allow designated PERSONS to carry concealed weapons on school grounds
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA — With some lawmakers saying schools can be easy targets for deranged shooters, a House panel Wednesday approved a bill (HB 753) that would allow designated employees or volunteers to carry concealed weapons on school grounds.
Backers said the bill, sponsored by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, could help prevent repeats of incidents such as the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.
“To do nothing is inexcusable as policymakers when we know we have a problem,” said Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala.
“They (schools) are still sterile targets today.”
But Rep. Gwyn Clarke-Reed, D-Deerfield Beach, said the state should look to school-resource officers to be responsible for school safety, rather than allowing other people to be armed on campuses.
The House K-12 Subcommittee voted 9-4 to support the measure, which is the House version of a bill that passed a Senate committee this week.
The people designated to carry concealed weapons would have to meet criteria, such as having military or law-enforcement backgrounds and taking school-safety and weapons training. Also under the bill, school districts would not be required to allow such people to carry guns on campus.
