Florida House debates school bill
Amendments include restricting gun sales
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A proposal to arm some teachers and school employees proved particularly contentious Tuesday as Florida representatives debated amendments to a school safety bill.
House members spent nearly three hours asking questions about the legislation, which would put some restrictions on rifle sales, provide new mental health programs from schools and improve communication between school districts, law enforcement and state agencies.
The Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County left 17 dead. Students’ anger at the availability of guns, access to weapons by the mentally ill and school safety spurred lawmakers to act.
The House spent more than five hours considering more than three-dozen Democratic filed amendments, all of which failed. The first would have stripped language from the bill that would create a program to arm some teachers and school employees who have undergone law enforcement training. Several Democrats said they wouldn’t vote for the bill if it included the so-called guardian program, which would put more guns in schools.
The amendment to strip out guardian language failed on 42-71 vote after more than an hour of a debate.
Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith said polls show there’s little support for arming teachers, yet overwhelming support for an assault rifle ban.
“So what do we have before us today? A proposal that arms teachers and does not ban military-style assault weapons,” Smith said. “This is why people are so fed up with politics.”
Several black lawmakers expressed concern that African-American students would be more likely to be accidentally shot by a school employee.