About three weeks ago, Florida State experienced one of the worst tragic school shootings in America. Nikolas Cruz a 19-year-old deranged teenager visited his former school and started shooting at people. The state lost 17 people majority being children. The tragedy triggered an uproar from residents not only from the state but beyond who called on Legislators to review gun control laws.
Legislators put across different proposals in the Senate House to formulate a bill that barely passed its threshold given that it got a 67-51 vote on Monday before being presented to Rick Scott’s office for signing. The Republican Governor intimated to reporters on Thursday that he would take his time to scrutinize the document and seek consultation before signing it. He was particularly skeptical about the segment of the bill that would allow the arming of teachers and school staff.
The Signing Event
Rick was accompanied by parents of the 17 victims while at Florida Capitol to sign the proposed bill into law. The bill places new restrictions especially in the purchase of guns with the aim of stopping a repeat attack in the state.
The bill entails the new 21 years age limit for people wishing to purchase guns. The age was revised from the previous age limit of 18 years. Gun purchasers are also supposed to wait three days to allow for extensive background checks before they get their gun. Once followed the right procedures teachers and staffers in schools will also be eligible to carry a firearm to protect students from attacks. Other non-gun related features passed in the bill include the introduction of a mental program to cater for troubled students and the introduction of an anonymous tip line that can assist students to directly report imminent threats to law enforcement.
After signing the document, Scott stated that the bill balances between individual rights and the need for public safety. He said this referring to the need to protect the public from gun threats while still allowing them their right to the Second Amendment; the right to own a firearm.
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a non-governmental institution that supports the Second Amendment. Hours after Scott signed the bill, the NRA moved to court to file a federal suit against the bill in a bid to block it.
The NRA is against the provision to revise the age limit for gun purchases from 18 to 21. The organization insisted that the measure was a way of punishing law-abiding gun holders for the crimes of one deranged individual.
