Thanks to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his John Hancock Wednesday, more Florida teachers’ll be able to pack heat in (and out of) the classroom.
The change emanates from recommendations made by a special commission created in the aftermath of the Parkland high school mass murders.
After the legislature’s session ended Saturday, Governor Ron said it’s all about the safety of the public:
“We did a lot for public safety. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas bill, people had disagreements on, but ultimately … I think we’re going to be safer.”
As per the revamped “guardian” program, individual school districts will be allowed to approve school staff to carry. Participation is on a volunteer basis.
Once approved, each gunner is put through a psychiatric evaluation and background check, as well as firearm training provided by a sheriff’s office.
Part of the update expands the pistol-packin’ opportunity to faculty outside the classroom.
The bill passed 65-47 in the House, 22-17 in the Senate last week; Republicans currently own both chambers.
Of course, the law-makin’ process didn’t go without debate.
As stated by Newsmax:
Democrats spent hours arguing against the bill, saying it could lead to accidental shootings, or that a teacher could panic and fire during a confrontation with students. Republicans emphasized that the program is voluntary, and that law enforcement in some rural districts could be 15 minutes or more away from a school if a shooter attacks.
Interestingly, the home of Parkland ain’t a fan:
Broward County, where the Parkland shooting took place, has rejected the program.
“Florida lawmakers claim they passed this bill for the victims and survivors of the shooting at Parkland, but they have ignored many concerns for student safety,” said Sari Kaufman, a Parkland survivor and a volunteer with the Florida chapter of Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.
Her statement added: “Now, I’m scared for the next generation of students who will grow up afraid of gun violence in their schools; not just from a shooter, but from the guns that could be carried by their teachers.”
In my opinion, the media’s treatment of the Parkland shooting was a travesty. Community healing was cast aside in favor of a shamelessly partisan use of naive teens (CNN Town Hall, anyone?). Gullible young people were maneuvered as pawns to accomplish left-wing political goals before being discarded at the end of the news cycle. In the end, there was no unity, resolve, no national closure.
It was a trial through which nothing was gained.
Except — perhaps — this new law, making classrooms and schoolhouses a bit less of the soft targets they were on Valentine’s Day, 2018.
Do you think they’ll be? I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the Comments section.
-Alex
See 3 more pieces from me:
WATCH: Parkland Survivor Confronts ‘Broward Coward’ Deputy – ‘You Let 17 People Die … Despicable.’
19-Year-Old Parkland Survivor Commits Suicide After Battling Survivor’s Guilt And PTSD
Find all my RedState work here.
And please follow Alex Parker on Twitter and Facebook.
Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below. For iPhone instructions, see the bottom of this page.
If you have an iPhone and want to comment, select the box with the upward arrow at the bottom of your screen; swipe left and choose “Request Desktop Site.” If it fails to automatically refresh, manually reload the page. Scroll down to the red horizontal bar that says “Show Comments.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member