Following the ISIS-inspired attack on the campus of Ohio State University—a rampage that ended when a university police officer shot and killed the student—campus safety has again become part of the national discussion. And many are calling for new laws that will allow students with carry permits to legally carry a concealed firearm while on campus.
Such is the case in Florida, where an NRA-backed proposal has been filed by Republican state Rep. Scott Plakon for the 2017 session. It will make the third year in a row that legislators have advocated for students being afforded the same right to protection on campus that they take advantage of while off campus.
Should it fail to pass next year, proponents say it would endanger the state’s 40 public college and university campuses by making them less safe. Many school police forces remain understaffed and, just last year, administrators unsuccessfully sought $74 million from the legislature to increase campus security operations.
