The Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following response after the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance
SB 7030 which would expand the Guardian Program established in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act by allowing classroom teachers to be armed, possibly over the objection of local sheriffs. The bill passed despite bipartisan opposition.
“Today, our voices joined those of teachers, members of law enforcement, veterans, faith leaders and so many more as we told our lawmakers that we don’t want our teachers armed,” said Gay Valimont, volunteer leader with the Florida chapter of Moms Demand Action. “There are so many solutions in this bill that we support, and are desperately needed to protect our children. But putting guns in the hands of teachers is far too dangerous. It is my sincere hope that lawmakers will reject the idea of arming teachers and remove that from the bill, and instead move forward on the aspects of this bill that we can all agree would truly keep our schools safe.”
“Why don’t our lawmakers understand that putting more guns in our schools will not keep my friends and me safe?” said Maria Victoria, volunteer with the Florida chapter of Students Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Students in Florida have made it clear that we want our lawmakers to focus on policies that would actually save lives, instead of policies that would make school a more dangerous place. We’ll keep speaking out until our representatives finally listen.”
Arming teachers is also unpopular with voters; a recent poll from Quinnipiac University showed that a strong majority of Florida voters
oppose allowing teachers to carry guns in schools, even if they are given training. (FACT CHECK: There could be some bias in this poll since 73% of Republicans support it while 87% of Dems oppose it and men are nearly divided on the issue. While the statement may be true, the poll cited may be questionable, The Dispatch)