TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - House and Senate leaders are outlining proposals that could lead to armed teachers in public schools and require that gun purchasers be at least 21 years old.
During a news conference at the State Capitol, House Speaker Richard Corcoran said lawmakers are expected to spend $400 to $500 million on the issues, though details were still being worked out.
Lawmakers want to allow teachers who go through extensive training and work under the direction of law-enforcement agencies to be able to carry concealed weapons at schools.
Corcoran says they will also increase the age to purchase long guns, such as rifles and shotguns, to 21, which is already the age requirement for purchasing handguns.
"Our job is to lead. Government has failed on multiple levels. It can never happen again," Corcoran said. "Our hope is that we will put together, jointly with the Senate, a proposal that will ensure it never happens again and we don't fail our school students again."
Republican legislative leaders say they will not seek to ban semiautomatic rifles, commonly known as "Assault" rifles, such as the one used in the Broward County murders. Democratic State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith is disappointed, but not surprised.
"We need to be banning assault weapons. We need universal background checks," Smith said. "We need to make sure that we are addressing the root cause of the public health crisis that is gun violence in this state and in this country. It is the guns. The guns are the problem."
With just two weeks left in the 2018 legislative session, lawmakers have a tight deadline to craft and agree on any gun-related legislation, while also trying to pass a budget for the next fiscal year.
