ORLANDO, Fla. — On Tuesday, a state legislative committee passed a bill that would allow teachers to arm themselves with guns in the classroom.
- SB 7030 would allow teachers to carry firearms
- It would be a part of a proposed statewide guardian program
- Students against measure said funds should be spent on mental health
- LINK: Read the full measure here
Senate Bill 7030 would establish a statewide guardian program, which would allow sheriff’s offices to train teachers to carry firearms.
The program would cost about $70 million. A state commission proposed the measure after a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February 2018. The shooting left 17 people dead.
A group of UCF students, some with ties to the Parkland tragedy, traveled to Tallahassee Tuesday to try to convince the committee members that money should be spent on mental healthcare, not arming teachers.
“I think it’s time for the state legislature to step up and say we’re going to address this, and we’re going to say that maybe $70 million spent at the state level to arm teachers is not the solution,” said Trevor Wild, a UCF student who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School months before the mass shooting.
“Maybe that money should be going to mental health reform,” he added.
“Mental health has a stigma and it shouldn’t … mental health should be talked about and talked about now before it’s too late,” said Rayanne Anid, a UCF Student who joined the effort to push mental healthcare legislation.
The bill now goes to an appropriations committee, and could make it to a full Senate vote later next week.