Florida governor signs gun-safety bill into law after school shooting

[rooster59]

Florida governor signs gun-safety bill into law after school shooting

By Jonathan Allen

 

FILE PHOTO - Florida Governor Rick Scott listens during a meeting with law enforcement, mental health, and education officials about how to prevent future tragedies in the wake of last week's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Colin Hackley

 

(Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott, a staunch ally of the National Rifle Association (NRA), signed into law on Friday a bill imposing a 21-year-old age limit and three-day waiting period on all gun purchases and allowing the arming of some school employees.

 

Final passage of the bill by state lawmakers came three weeks to the day after a gunman opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students and three faculty members.

 

Swift action in the Republican-controlled statehouse, where the powerful NRA gun lobbying organization has long held sway, was propelled in large part by an extraordinary counter-lobbying campaign waged by young survivors from the massacre and parents of the victims.

 

The Parkland massacre and response to it by Florida lawmakers signaled a possible turning point in the national debate between advocates for tougher firearms restrictions and proponents of the right to bear arms as enshrined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

 

Gun control supporters said the tragedy - the deadliest U.S. high school shooting ever - has given new momentum to firearms-safety measures pending in at least two dozen states, many in solidly conservative parts of the nation.

 

"Today should serve as an example to the entire country that government can and must move fast," Scott said in remarks before the signing, surrounded by survivors of the shooting and their families.

 

Scott, a Republican who received the NRA's endorsement as governor and its highest rating for supporting the rights of gun owners, said the bill represented a compromise balancing concerns on both sides of the gun debate.

 

Five states - Alabama, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Utah - have seen so-called "red flag" bills introduced since the Florida massacre to make it easier for police to confiscate weapons from someone found to pose a threat of violent behavior, according to Kristin Brown, co-president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

 

Such a provision was included in the Florida package enacted on Friday.

 

The legislation, while containing a number of other provisions student activists and their parents from Parkland had embraced, left out one of their chief demands - a ban on assault-style weapons like the one used in the Feb. 14 rampage.

 

The bill also was controversial for including provisions allowing school staff to be specially trained and deputized to carry guns on the job as campus "guardians," though local sheriffs and individual school districts may opt out of the program if they wish.

 

Most classroom teachers are excluded from volunteering for the program, a compromise aimed at earning the support of the governor, and many lawmakers, who opposed the idea. The bill left only non-teacher staff eligible to participate, such as administrators, guidance counselors, librarians and coaches.

 

Florida now joins at least six other states - Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming - with laws allowing public school employees to carry firearms to work, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

 

President Donald Trump has voiced support for the idea, also espoused by the NRA.

 

Critics have said arming school staff only heightens the risks of gun violence, and poses a particular risk to minority students, who they said were more likely to be shot in the heat of a disciplinary situation or if mistaken as an intruder.

 

Scott said he remained dissatisfied with the guardian provisions but signed the bill nonetheless, saying it would enhance school safety overall.

 

"I am glad, however, that the plan in this bill is not mandatory, which means it will be up to locally elected officials," Scott said. "If counties don’t want to do this, they can simply say no."

 

Besides his objections to arming teachers, Scott was on record as being opposed to extending Florida's existing three-day waiting period for handgun sales to purchases of all firearms, as the new law now does.

 

The measure also raises the legal age for all gun purchases to 21. The minimum age for handguns nationally is 21, but a person as young as 18 could buy a rifle in Florida.

 

Nikolas Cruz, the accused gunman charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the Parkland shooting, was 18 years old when he legally purchased the AR-15 assault-style rifle used in the massacre, according to authorities.

 

In addition, the new law allows police to temporarily seize guns from anyone been taken into custody for an involuntary mental examination and to seek a court order barring a person from possessing firearms if that individual is deemed dangerous because of a mental illness or violent behavior.

 

Cruz, now 19, had a history of mental issues, numerous encounters with police and was expelled from Stoneman Douglas last year for disciplinary problems, according to authorities.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-10

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Scott, a Republican who received the NRA's endorsement as governor

Hours after Florida Gov. Rick Scott publicly went against allies in the NRA in signing a gun control bill, the NRA filed a lawsuit against Florida. The lawsuit is asking a federal judge to block the new age restriction from taking effect.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/03/09/nra-files-lawsuit-saying-florida-gun-bill-approved-by-gov-scott-violates-2nd-amendment.html

 

[Basil B]

Hope the federal judge tell the NRA to take a hike...

 

At least Florida is taking a step in the right direction.