(Tallahassee, FL) – Florida lawmakers advanced a bill Tuesday that hardens college and university campuses against an active shooter.
The bill is an extension of a 2018 law, post Parkland, requiring every public school in Florida to have armed law enforcement, or armed guardian on campus.
State Rep. Michelle Salzman says her bill, HB 757, is in response to the mass shooting last year on the FSU campus that killed two and injured six.
The active shooter college safety measure would allow trained individuals to carry a weapon, require a campus rapid alert system that communicates with law enforcement, and reunification plans for parents to find their kids.
In addition to armed guardians, anyone who shoots a weapon within one thousand feet of a school would be charged with a felony and held without bond. It also requires students and teachers to take active shooter preparedness training.
Democrat Rep. Michael Gottlieb says he was skeptical about arming eligible teachers but finds that the bill does the right thing.
A companion school safety bill, SB 896, is making its way through the state senate.