TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A bill that would have allowed certain school employees to concealed carry on campus has been withdrawn from consideration by a Senate committee.
Senate Bill 1236 was filed by Senator Dennis Baxley December 11, 2017, just over two months before 17 people were shot and killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
SB 1236 would have allowed school officials to designate trained armed volunteers at schools. Employees would have had to get approval from the principal or district superintendent before carrying a gun on campus.
The bill was scheduled to be heard next week, but was pulled Friday night.
The gun control advocacy group 'Moms Demand Action' says they made more than 2,500 phone calls and sent about 1,700 emails asking legislators to block the bill.
"What happened in Tallahassee this week proves yet again that the gun lobby is simply no match for moms who are fighting to protect their kids,'' said Gay Valmont, a volunteer leader with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action.
18 states already allow adults to carry a loaded gun on school grounds, with certain permissions. Bills similar to SB 1236 have been filed in four other states, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
