In response to Gov. Ron DeSantis signing SB 7030 into law thereby allowing school boards to allow teachers to carry guns in the classroom, the Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence released the following statement:
We are disappointed that Gov. DeSantis has signed SB 7030 into law. The bill had some very good school safety measures, however introducing guns to the classroom was a bridge too far.
Teachers are not law enforcement. They do not receive the same training required to make split-second life or death decisions as law enforcement officers.
We heard directly from students. We heard directly from school boards. We heard directly from teachers themselves — none of the people that this law will affect on a daily basis wanted guns in the classroom. The issue of school safety was unfortunately warped into a conversation about the Second Amendment rather than the safety of our children.
We hope that this misguided policy does not lead to disaster, and re-commit ourselves to fighting for common sense gun laws in our state.
The Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence was founded after the Pulse shooting in 2016 to promote smart gun legislation. It has grown to include more than 100 local, state, and national organizations and includes such diverse groups as the League of Women Voters of Florida, the Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, Florida PTA, Equality Florida, the Interfaith Council of Central Florida, National Council of Jewish Women, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
