Florida has passed a bill that allows teachers to bring guns in the classrooms so as to address a situation similar to the Parkland shooting.
Teachers who make it through a 144-hour training course will be armed in a voluntary Guardian program covering all school districts across Florida.
The idea of arming teachers was first proposed after a teenager opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland with a semiautomatic rifle.
The shooting spree started by the former student killed 17 people and left another 17 with serious injuries.
President Trump, as well as the National Rifle Association, later argued how an armed educator could defend the kids against a shooter.
Although the students at Parkland school inspired people across the country to demand gun control laws, Florida lawmakers were quick to enact legislation in a state which is remarkably gun-friendly.
After the deadly incident, new laws were passed to increase the age limit for purchasing rifles from 18 to 21 and to impose a three-day waiting period for buying all sorts of guns.
They further required schools across the state to recruit at least one law-enforcement officer or have one armed staff member.
But they still didn’t allow school personnel to carry guns in the classrooms.
The major change of arming teachers in the classroom came after some people argued that the shootings happen too quickly, leaving law enforcement a little time to respond.
Opponents warned of the dangers of law enforcement mistaking an armed teacher for the attacker or a teacher misfiring at students during a shooting crisis.
However, the Republican majority in Florida’s House of Representatives managed to pass the bill after hours of debate against Democratic efforts to stall the proposition.
Florida’s Senate also approved the bill last week and Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will likely sign it this week.
A spokesman for the Speaker of the House said 40 of Florida’s 67 counties have already enrolled in or are planning to enroll in the Guardian program, while some are persistent not to get enrolled.
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