REFORM

Florida Gov. Rick Scott Signs Bill Tightening Gun Laws

It raises the minimum age to buy rifles to 21, but allows some teachers to be armed.

Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act on Friday—the first gun law to be passed by the state since the Parkland shooting last month. The bill tightens some gun-control measures, but also permits teachers to be armed in specific cases. The controversial portion of the bill, called the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, “arms some teachers if both the local school district and local sheriff's department agree.” It's named after the coach who used his body to shield students from gunfire and died during the shooting. Both parents and teachers expressed reservations about arming teachers, with the teachers union urging Scott to line-item veto the program out of the bill. The law also raises the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21, bans bump stocks, gives law enforcement greater authority to seize weapons and ammo from those “mentally unfit,” and provides additional funding for school officers. Meanwhile, the National Rifle Association filed a federal lawsuit against the state to block the law that Scott signed.