Florida Gov. Rick Scott today passed a law that includes a package of gun control measures, raising the age limit for buying semi-automatic assault rifles to 21, imposing a three-day waiting period for the purchase of any firearm and allowing instructors in public schools to bear arms.
The "Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act," named after Parkland High School in North Florida where the Feb. 14 massacre took place, was approved yesterday by 67 votes to 50 in the House of Representatives.
"Today should be an example to the whole country that the government can and must move quickly," the Republican governor said in pre-signing remarks, surrounded by carnage survivors and their families. As he stated, the bill is a compromise that weighs the concerns of the supporters of the control of weapons and those of the right to own weapons.
Parkland High School students had been pressuring politicians in the State to mobilize in the days following the massacre to impose some of the new restrictions imposed by the bill, despite the NRA's disagreements on the arms lobby.
However, the provisions of the legislation did not include one of the students' main demands: to ban the sale of assault rifles in the State, such as the one used in the February 14 massacre.
Among the measures provided by the new law is a program that allows school staff to train voluntarily and carry weapons to prevent future incidents of armed violence.
The final text of the bill includes wording that excludes most teachers from participating in this program, in a compromise to secure the support of Democrats and Scott, who had spoken out against teacher weapons.