Florida lawmakers might be moving toward a major expansion of the state\u2019s controversial Guardian Program, extending it to public colleges and universities. That\u2019s in the wake of April\u2019s deadly shooting at Florida State University.<\/p>\n
The proposal, HB 757<\/a>, comes months after a gunman killed<\/a> two people and wounded at least six others on FSU\u2019s campus, prompting student protests and renewed calls for changes to campus safety.<\/p>\n One of the lawmakers now leading that effort is Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, who says she was personally impacted by the violence. Salzman, who attended FSU, told us she was in contact with students as the shooting unfolded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m in a group text with a lot of the students as they\u2019re sending videos showing the shooter walking by or texting, \u2018Hey, I\u2019m in this room and I\u2019m okay. Where are you?\u2019 I\u2019m literally sitting here, and I felt so helpless, I couldn\u2019t go on campus and help, obviously,\u201d Salzman said.<\/p>\n If approved during the 2026 legislative session, HB 757 would establish Florida\u2019s first uniform higher-education safety framework. The bill would require public colleges and universities to adopt emergency response plans, create threat-assessment teams, and install upgraded classroom door locks.<\/p>\n It would also allow specially trained faculty and staff to carry concealed firearms as campus \u201cguardians.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis bill isn\u2019t about the Second Amendment. This bill is about providing a safer environment for the campus,\u201d Salzman said.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s Guardian Program<\/a> was created after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Today, 53 school districts allow staff \u2014 including teachers \u2014 to carry firearms on K-12 campuses after undergoing extensive law-enforcement training.<\/p>\n While the program has expanded in recent years with bipartisan support, it faced strong opposition when it was first approved in 2019. During that debate<\/a>, Democrats warned against adding more guns to school environments.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t believe that having more weapons in classrooms gets it right,\u201d Rep. Cindy Polo, D-Miramar, said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cOur teachers did not go to schools to become cops,\u201d added Rep. Susan Vald\u00e9s, D-Tampa. Vald\u00e9s has since changed her party affiliation to Republican.<\/p>\n