Following the brutal Florida school shooting just a few weeks back, Senate narrowly passed a bill Monday that would create new restrictions on rifle sales and plan to allow school staff to carry firearms as part of a package of measures.&nbsp;

The meeting carried on for three hours. The amendment was designed in part to increase support from many parents, law enforcement officials and legislators in both parties who object to arming teachers, as well as from Governor Rick Scott, a Republican also on record as opposed to the idea.&nbsp;

Democratic senator Lauran Book had suggested a ban on assault-style rifles, like many of the students who travelled to the state Capitol to ask lawmakers to go even further to stop future mass shootings.&nbsp;

The exclusion was adopted by voice vote as part of a package of legislation the Senate passed a short time later, 20-18, to raise the minimum legal age for buying all guns in Florida to 21 and impose a three-day waiting period for any gun purchase.

The minimum age for handguns nationally is already 21. But a person can be as young as 18 to buy a rifle in Florida, with no waiting period.

A single vote against the bill would have resulted in failure to pass the decision on Monday. The Republicans, as well as the Democrats, said that there will some terms in the bill which they were not in favour of, reports said. They did not like the idea of teachers carrying guns and raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and to create a waiting period on sales of the weapons.

The Senate-passed bill represents a break with the National Rifle Association gun rights lobby, which has resisted proposals to raise age limits or impose new waiting limits.

The bill now moves to Florida&rsquo;s Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The annual 60-day session is scheduled to end Friday.

A House committee last week approved similar legislation, including a provision allowing local sheriffs to create voluntary programs for deputizing school personnel as armed &ldquo;marshals,&rdquo; subject to school district approval and special training. U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced support for such a plan, also advocated by the NRA.

As amended in the Senate bill, classroom teachers would be excluded from carrying guns to work unless they are part of the Junior Reserve Officers&rsquo; Training Corps program, or are members of the U.S. military or former police officers. Other school personnel would be eligible to participate. 
&nbsp;

The amendment was designed in part to increase support from many parents, law enforcement officials and legislators in both parties who object to arming teachers, as well as from Governor Rick Scott, a Republican also on record as opposed to the idea

Following the brutal Florida school shooting just a few weeks back, Senate narrowly passed a bill Monday that would create new restrictions on rifle sales and plan to allow school staff to carry firearms as part of a package of measures. The meeting carried on for three hours. The amendment was designed in part to increase support from many parents, law enforcement officials and legislators in both parties who object to arming teachers, as well as from Governor Rick Scott, a Republican also on record as opposed to the idea. Democratic senator Lauran Book had suggested a ban on assault-style rifles, like many of the students who travelled to the state Capitol to ask lawmakers to go even further to stop future mass shootings. The exclusion was adopted by voice vote as part of a package of legislation the Senate passed a short time later, 20-18, to raise the minimum legal age for buying all guns in Florida to 21 and impose a three-day waiting period for any gun purchase. The minimum age for handguns nationally is already 21. But a person can be as young as 18 to buy a rifle in Florida, with no waiting period. A single vote against the bill would have resulted in failure to pass the decision on Monday. The Republicans, as well as the Democrats, said that there will some terms in the bill which they were not in favour of, reports said. They did not like the idea of teachers carrying guns and raising the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and to create a waiting period on sales of the weapons. The Senate-passed bill represents a break with the National Rifle Association gun rights lobby, which has resisted proposals to raise age limits or impose new waiting limits. The bill now moves to Florida’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives. The annual 60-day session is scheduled to end Friday. A House committee last week approved similar legislation, including a provision allowing local sheriffs to create voluntary programs for deputizing school personnel as armed “marshals,” subject to school district approval and special training. U.S. President Donald Trump has voiced support for such a plan, also advocated by the NRA. As amended in the Senate bill, classroom teachers would be excluded from carrying guns to work unless they are part of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, or are members of the U.S. military or former police officers. Other school personnel would be eligible to participate.

Florida lawmakers pass bill to increase minimum age on gun sales, arming teachers

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that arming teachers could help prevent massacres like last week&rsquo;s mass shooting at a Florida high school, voicing support for an idea backed by the National Rifle Association gun rights group.

Trump made the comment during an emotional hour-long White House meeting with students who survived the Florida shooting and a parent whose child did not. Hundreds of students joined scattered protests across the country on Wednesday, including in Washington, Chicago, and Pittsburgh.

The Republican president, who has championed gun rights and was endorsed by the NRA during the 2016 campaign, said he would move quickly to tighten background checks for gun buyers and would consider raising the age for buying certain types of guns.

He spoke at length about how armed teachers and security guards could frighten off potential school shooters and prevent student deaths.

&ldquo;If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, it could very well end the attack very quickly,&rdquo; said Trump.

The attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and educators were slain on Feb. 14 by a gunman with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle in the second-deadliest shooting at a U.S. public school, has revived the long-running U.S. debate over gun rights.

The US Constitution protects the right of Americans to bear arms, a right fiercely defended by Republicans. But Trump has been under pressure to act.

Some of the participants at the meeting indicated support for Trump&rsquo;s idea of arming teachers. Others were opposed.

Mark Barden, whose son was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, said his wife, Jackie, a teacher, &rdquo;will tell you that school teachers have more than enough responsibilities right now than to have to have the awesome responsibility of lethal force to take a life.

&ldquo;Nobody wants to see a shootout in a school,&rdquo; Barden said.

After the Sandy Hook shooting, a task force backed by the NRA recommended more armed guards and teachers in schools.

Trump listened intently to ideas from about 40 people, including those from six students who survived the Florida shooting.

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an AR,&rdquo; said Sam Zeif, 18, sobbing after he described texting his family members during the attack.

&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s never let this happen again, please, please,&rdquo; Zeif said.

Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow Pollack, 18, was killed, shouted: &ldquo;It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it. And I&lsquo;m pissed - because my daughter - I&lsquo;m not going to see again.&rdquo;

Trump sat in the middle of a semi-circle in the White House State Dining Room. Photographers captured images of his handwritten note card with questions like &ldquo;What would you most want me to know about your experience?&rdquo; and &ldquo;I hear you.&rdquo;

Protests

Before Trump&rsquo;s meeting, students across the United States walked out of classes in sympathy protests, including hundreds of teens from the Washington suburbs who gathered at the White House.

&rdquo;I came out here because I don&rsquo;t feel safe in my school,&ldquo; said Allyson Zadravec, 15, of Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. &rdquo;I want to make sure that everyone who can do something about it hears that I don&rsquo;t feel safe in my school.&rdquo;

In the Florida state capital, Tallahassee, students demanded that lawmakers restrict sales of assault rifles. Some wore T-shirts and carried signs reading: &ldquo;We call B.S.,&rdquo; one of the slogans of the movement started by the survivors.

Investigators said the assault was carried out by 19-year-old former Stoneman student Nikolas Cruz, who purchased an AR-15 nearly a year ago. Police charged Cruz, who had been kicked out of the school because of disciplinary problems, with 17 counts of premeditated murder.

&ldquo;Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle before he was able to buy a beer,&rdquo; said Laurenzo Prado, a Stoneman student, referring to a Florida law that allows people as young as 18 to buy assault weapons. &ldquo;The laws of the country have failed.&rdquo;

Lawmakers in Tallahassee said they would consider raising the age limit to 21, the same standard for handguns and alcohol, although the state Senate on Wednesday opted not to take up a gun control measure.

Trump also said he was open to looking at age limits, among other measures, and lamented the closure of many mental institutions to help assess violent people.

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no ... middle ground of having that institution where you had trained people that could handle it and do something about it and find out how sick he really is,&rdquo; Trump said.

Trump on Tuesday directed the Justice Department to work on a regulation that would effectively ban &ldquo;bump stocks,&rdquo; an accessory that enables a rifle to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute.

Last October, a retired real estate investor and high-stakes gambler used multiple assault rifles equipped with bump stocks to kill 58 people at a Las Vegas outdoor concert, the deadliest attack by a single gunman in U.S. history. Bump stocks have not played a prominent role in other recent U.S. mass shootings.

The NRA opposes an outright ban on bump stocks but has said it would be open to restrictions on the devices.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged Trump to back the legislation, instead of a regulation, on bump stocks.

Additional reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Tallahassee, Fla., Katanga Johnson in Parkland, Fla., Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Keith Coffman in Denver and Richard Cowan, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Writing by Scott Malone and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Peter Cooney

Trump made the comment during an emotional hour-long White House meeting with students who survived the Florida shooting and a parent whose child did not

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that arming teachers could help prevent massacres like last week’s mass shooting at a Florida high school, voicing support for an idea backed by the National Rifle Association gun rights group. Trump made the comment during an emotional hour-long White House meeting with students who survived the Florida shooting and a parent whose child did not. Hundreds of students joined scattered protests across the country on Wednesday, including in Washington, Chicago, and Pittsburgh. The Republican president, who has championed gun rights and was endorsed by the NRA during the 2016 campaign, said he would move quickly to tighten background checks for gun buyers and would consider raising the age for buying certain types of guns. He spoke at length about how armed teachers and security guards could frighten off potential school shooters and prevent student deaths. “If you had a teacher ... who was adept at firearms, it could very well end the attack very quickly,” said Trump. The attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students and educators were slain on Feb. 14 by a gunman with an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle in the second-deadliest shooting at a U.S. public school, has revived the long-running U.S. debate over gun rights. The US Constitution protects the right of Americans to bear arms, a right fiercely defended by Republicans. But Trump has been under pressure to act. Some of the participants at the meeting indicated support for Trump’s idea of arming teachers. Others were opposed. Mark Barden, whose son was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, said his wife, Jackie, a teacher, ”will tell you that school teachers have more than enough responsibilities right now than to have to have the awesome responsibility of lethal force to take a life. “Nobody wants to see a shootout in a school,” Barden said. After the Sandy Hook shooting, a task force backed by the NRA recommended more armed guards and teachers in schools. Trump listened intently to ideas from about 40 people, including those from six students who survived the Florida shooting. “I don’t understand why I can still go in a store and buy a weapon of war, an AR,” said Sam Zeif, 18, sobbing after he described texting his family members during the attack. “Let’s never let this happen again, please, please,” Zeif said. Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow Pollack, 18, was killed, shouted: “It should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it. And I‘m pissed - because my daughter - I‘m not going to see again.” Trump sat in the middle of a semi-circle in the White House State Dining Room. Photographers captured images of his handwritten note card with questions like “What would you most want me to know about your experience?” and “I hear you.” Protests Before Trump’s meeting, students across the United States walked out of classes in sympathy protests, including hundreds of teens from the Washington suburbs who gathered at the White House. ”I came out here because I don’t feel safe in my school,“ said Allyson Zadravec, 15, of Northwood High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. ”I want to make sure that everyone who can do something about it hears that I don’t feel safe in my school.” In the Florida state capital, Tallahassee, students demanded that lawmakers restrict sales of assault rifles. Some wore T-shirts and carried signs reading: “We call B.S.,” one of the slogans of the movement started by the survivors. Investigators said the assault was carried out by 19-year-old former Stoneman student Nikolas Cruz, who purchased an AR-15 nearly a year ago. Police charged Cruz, who had been kicked out of the school because of disciplinary problems, with 17 counts of premeditated murder. “Nikolas Cruz was able to purchase an assault rifle before he was able to buy a beer,” said Laurenzo Prado, a Stoneman student, referring to a Florida law that allows people as young as 18 to buy assault weapons. “The laws of the country have failed.” Lawmakers in Tallahassee said they would consider raising the age limit to 21, the same standard for handguns and alcohol, although the state Senate on Wednesday opted not to take up a gun control measure. Trump also said he was open to looking at age limits, among other measures, and lamented the closure of many mental institutions to help assess violent people. “There’s no ... middle ground of having that institution where you had trained people that could handle it and do something about it and find out how sick he really is,” Trump said. Trump on Tuesday directed the Justice Department to work on a regulation that would effectively ban “bump stocks,” an accessory that enables a rifle to shoot hundreds of rounds a minute. Last October, a retired real estate investor and high-stakes gambler used multiple assault rifles equipped with bump stocks to kill 58 people at a Las Vegas outdoor concert, the deadliest attack by a single gunman in U.S. history. Bump stocks have not played a prominent role in other recent U.S. mass shootings. The NRA opposes an outright ban on bump stocks but has said it would be open to restrictions on the devices. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer urged Trump to back the legislation, instead of a regulation, on bump stocks. Additional reporting by Zachary Fagenson in Tallahassee, Fla., Katanga Johnson in Parkland, Fla., Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Keith Coffman in Denver and Richard Cowan, Susan Heavey, Doina Chiacu, Mohammad Zargham and Eric Beech in Washington; Writing by Scott Malone and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Peter Cooney

Arming teachers could stop school shootings, says Trump

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