New Campus Carry Law in Florida Has No Participants Yet
“Law-abiding students, faculty, and staff must be able to defend themselves without waiting for a university’s permission.”
What’s going on here? This is Florida, after all.
The College Fix reports:
Florida’s new armed professors law has zero takers so far
A Florida law that allows trained university employees to carry guns on campus does not have any participants yet – a fact that prompted criticism this week from both sides of the Second Amendment debate.
The Florida Moms Demand Action, a gun control group, reported Monday that “not a single college or university” has opted into the program so far.
Meanwhile, only one school, the University of South Florida, told the Florida Phoenix that it is considering participating.
The law, which went into effect in May, expands Florida’s School Guardian Program by allowing public college and university presidents to designate faculty and staff to be trained to carry concealed firearms on campus.
To qualify, employees must complete 144 hours of training, as well as drug tests and psychological evaluations, according to the Phoenix. The program also is in K-12 schools.
However, a Second Amendment advocate expressed frustration that the law only allows some citizens to exercise their right to carry on college campuses.
“We view HB 757 as a fake campus carry bill. We demanded real campus carry and got an expansion of the Guardian program instead, which is a dog-and-pony show by squishy Republicans,” Luis Valdes with Gun Owners of America and Fuerza 2A told the Phoenix.
“Why should their Second Amendment rights disappear on college campuses?” Valdes said. “Gun-free zones do not stop criminals. Law-abiding students, faculty, and staff must be able to defend themselves without waiting for a university’s permission.”
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Based on GI Bill and ROTC numbers, It is safe to say nearly a million veterans and officers in training attend college campuses around the US. These seem like EXACTLY the people you want armed for the safety of everyone around them.
But it’s not for students. It’s only for university employees.
But it certainly would be a better choice to allow students trained in self defense with a firearm to carry.
As a Faculty member who is also a veteran – former Senior NCO – I would be glad to see my SUS school in FL decide to take advantage of this program. They should not have been given the choice to opt out. But, yes, true campus carry should be the law.
“A Florida law that allows trained university employees to carry guns on campus does not have any participants yet”
“To qualify, employees must complete 144 hours of training, as well as drug tests and psychological evaluations,”
I really don’t give a damn whether school administrators want to jerk their EMPLOYEES around with ludicrous programs (ONE FULL MONTH of full-time training?!), as long as the “civilians” on campus aren’t denied their constitutional right of self-defense. As long as that’s accomplished, the rest of this “Only Ones” bullscut is just a sideshow they can continue to cosplay at to their heart’s content.
Ahh, yes. The Drug EnFARCEment agent. One of those who too many people believe should be among The Privileged Few allowed the possession of firearms because they have a pretty badge.
Florida’s refusal to simply allow all lawful carriers to carry on university properties (excluding truly sensitive areas like laboratories and stadiums) is inane, especially in what is supposed to be a red state.
Texas has campus carry for a decade. And guess what? Like they always do, the “rivers of blood” predictions by opponents of the law have not come to pass.
They never do. Not a single negative prediction about the liberalization of any gun law has ever proven accurate. Gun-grabbers have a 100% record of being 100% wrong. And yet the media will seek them out to interview them about every new relaxation, as if their opinion were any more valuable than a used condom wrapper.
Why would a stadium be a “sensitive area” because you’re carrying a firearm?
I can see laboratories – but only if that particular laboratory is also off-limits to lithium batteries, hairspray, and some skin creams. IOW, only if there are dangers increased by merely possessing the weapon and ammunition.
Of course, no university is going to opt in to a program they have to monitor and run in this fashion.
Any failures expose legal liability.
It would be simpler, and adhere more to the principles of the Constitution if they simply allowed those with a CCW to carry on campus.
And I have no trouble with a training requirement (above the normal safety rules and “this is the law here concerning carry” requirements) that requires you to actually show you at least won’t shoot other people on the range when trying to hit your target. I’d be willing to make it an annual requirement – maybe 100 rounds a year on some kind of range – so that you actually might be a decent shot. At least you would remember how to operate your firearm. BUT, 144 hours? Holy schmoley! That’s 2 trips to the range every week all year long, plus an entire vacation from your job. Or police academy.
First off, if it requires government permission it is not a right, it is a privilege which can be revoked at any time.
Second… 100 rounds a year? Really? I am not a police officer. I am not a private security officer. I am not a mercenary. However, I routinely expend 700-1000 rounds every month at the range… when I can get ammunition; everybody’s out of stock at the moment. I have enough on hand for maybe two months.
144 hours of class.
18 Days @ 8 hrs
Almost 4 weeks @ 5/wk
I’m trying to figure what they are doing with their days…
Looking back at my past year (excluding Oh SAFER). has bench a LOT of training.
8 hrs – Concealed class
20 hrs – Mag20 Ayoob legal class
20 hrs – Ayoob range class & qual
21 hrs – Semi-auto pistol at RangeReadStidios.com
8hrs – Ellifritz
Close Quarters Combat
20 hrs – Ohio SAFER program for school staff
16 hr – carbine
16 hr – Shotgun
16 hr – Force-on-Force instructor & Student
24 hrs – Tom Givens Instructor qual
… and a few other classes too, as well as assisting on class training.
Your city cops aren’t getting this much training. But you don’t know that. But you feel “safe” with them.