TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (The News Service of Florida) - All eyes are on the Florida House of Representatives, one day after the Senate passed gun restrictions.
Representatives have spent several hours discussing a school-safety bill that stems from the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County.
The sweeping $400 million package includes more than $100 million for mental health screening and services and at least $25 million to raise and rebuild the building. The legislation would raise the age from 18 to 21 and impose a three-day waiting period for the purchase of rifles and other long guns.
Also included in the bill is a school guardian program, that would allow specially trained school personnel, including teachers, deputized by county sheriffs to bring guns to schools.
State representative Jose Oliva is sponsoring the legislation.
"We can't guarantee 100 percent that bad things don't happen," said Olivia, R- Miami Lakes. "We have police officers throughout our communities. That doesn't guarantee that bad things don't happen. What we can do is mitigate it to a point that we think we can tell children that they can be safe in their schools."
State representative Shevrin Jones says students could face other dangers if their teacher is carrying a gun.
"Who comes in with the students who are left in the classroom by themselves now as the teacher goes out to apprehend the active shooter?" said Jones, D- West Park. "Are we not concerned that those students are now in danger?"
House Democrats have offered dozens of amendments to the bill, including one to ban the AR-15 rifle in Florida and another to remove the guardian program from the bill.
As of mid-afternoon, the amendment to remove the guardian program had been voted down.
