The Florida Senate has moved forward with school security legislation (SB 7030) that includes a provision that would allow classroom teachers to carry weapons.
For years, the leading champion for arming teachers was U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a staunch guns right advocate. He sponsored a bill three years in a row when he was a state representative that would have allowed teachers to carry concealed weapons.
However, only 37 percent of Florida voters want teachers to carry guns and 51 percent oppose the idea including 30 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of Independents and 71 percent of Democrats (Source: Florida Atlantic University poll). Yet a sizable majority of the Legislature is Republican and the President of the United States has endorsed the idea, thus, the Senate is moving forward with the provision. The idea of arming teachers has also been championed by the NRA.
Call Florida Senate President, Bill Galvano, (850) 487-5021 or email galvano.bill@flsenate.gov, and tell him that firearms belong in the hands of highly-trained law enforcement officers, not teachers. A teacher’s focus should be on education. Ask that he remove the provision that would allow teachers to carry guns in our schools from SB 7030. It is unreasonable to expect a teacher to be able to act as law enforcement.
