Florida lawmakers pass gun bill that allows arming ‘some’ school staff

By a narrow margin, Florida legislators have passed controversial gun safety legislation limiting sales of certain firearms and providing for the arming of some school staff, in the wake of the recent massacre in Parkland.

Senate Bill 7076 passed by a 67-50 vote on Wednesday evening, after over eight hours of debate, and will become law in 15 days unless Governor Rick Scott vetoes it.

The new bill imposes a three-day waiting period for all firearm purchases and raises the minimum age for anyone buying a shotgun or a rifle from 18 to 21. It also bans the sale of bump stocks, which are used to convert a semi-automatic gun to be fired as an automatic one.

The legislation also establishes the so-called Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, which allows local sheriffs to “appoint certain volunteer school employees as school guardians.” These volunteers would need to undergo 132 hours of firearm and safety training in order to qualify.

“Excluded from participating in the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program are individuals who exclusively perform classroom duties as classroom teachers,” the law states. It mentions also that it “does not apply to classroom teachers of a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, a current service member [or] a current or former law enforcement officer.”

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