Florida lawmakers approved a bill that would allow teachers to carry firearms in response to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Gov. DeSantis, who previously expressed support for the bill, is likely to sign it into law
Last year, in response to the massacre, lawmakers passed a bill that would allow certain school personnel to carry firearms, but not teachers. This bill expands the state's Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, which was named after football coach Aaron Feis who shielded students from the Parkland shooting suspect's bullets.
Newly sworn-in Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during an event at the Freedom Tower on Jan. 09, 2019 in Miami.The bill requires teachers who participate in the program to undergo drug testing and psychological evaluation and to complete 144 total hours of training. The training requirements include 80 hours of commission-certified firearms instruction and eight hours of drilling in active shooter of assailant scenarios, among other conditions.
"This bill is the ultimate school-hardening law. It allows the good guy to stop the bad," Rep. Chuck Brannan, a Republican, toldRep. Mike Gottlieb, a Democrat, said the legislation is creating a"police state." Groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union also expressed reservations about the bill, arguing that it may have a deleterious effect on students, particularly students of color.
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