Defying NRA, Florida Lawmakers Send Gun Control Legislation To Governor’s Desk
Although the legislation falls short of many of the demands from students affected by the Parkland shooting and other advocates, if it is signed the bill will be the first successful gun control measure in Florida in more than 20 years. Media outlets take a look at what made it in the final draft.
The New York Times:
Florida House Passes Gun Control Bill, Defying N.R.A.
Florida lawmakers gave final passage to a $400 million gun control and school safety bill on Wednesday in defiance of the National Rifle Association, which opposed the legislation’s firearm restrictions. ... The legislation, which passed the State Senate on Monday and now heads to the governor, would raise the minimum age to purchase any firearm to 21 from 18; impose a three-day waiting period on gun purchases; fund school police officers and mental health counselors; and allow local school districts and sheriffs to arm certain school personnel. It would also ban so-called bump stocks, which make guns fire faster, and give law enforcement more power to commit people deemed a threat. (Mazzei, 3/7)
The Washington Post:
Florida Legislature Backs New Gun Restrictions After Parkland School Shooting
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R), who supports most but not all of the provisions in the state bill and is exploring a U.S. Senate bid, reiterated his opposition to arming teachers Wednesday but stopped short of threatening a veto. “I am going to read the bill, and I am going to talk to parents,” he told reporters in the state capitol. “My goal is that this never happens again to a parent in our state.” (Scherer, 3/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Florida Lawmakers Approve Gun-Control Bill
Gun-rights groups denounced the new firearm restrictions as violating the Second Amendment. Marion Hammer, the National Rifle Association’s Florida lobbyist, implored members to pressure lawmakers to vote against the measure. “House leadership is trying to bully Second Amendment supporters,” she wrote in one email. (Campo-Flores, 3/7)
The New York Times:
Florida Gun Bill: What’s In It, And What Isn’t
The gun control bill that the Florida Legislature passed on Wednesday was, in many respects, a major victory for the new activists of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It was passed in defiance of the National Rifle Association and, if Gov. Rick Scott signs it, will be the first successful gun control measure in Florida in more than 20 years. But it left out many of the biggest provisions the students and their supporters had sought, including bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Here is a look at what is in the final bill, and what is not. (Astor, 3/8)
In other news —
The Washington Post:
Why More Civilians Are Now Learning Military-Grade Techniques To Save Lives
Laura Auel winced as Clif Castleman tightened a bright orange training tourniquet around her upper arm. “There we go,” Castleman said as he constricted the veins and arteries in the 21-year-old college student's right arm. “In some cases, and in some I’ve done in real life, people have said the tourniquet hurts more than the wound itself,” Castleman explained to nearly 50 residents of Poolesville, Md., gathered in an elementary school cafeteria. (Martin, 3/7)
CNN:
Lessons From War At Marjory Stoneman High School
In the northern Israel town of Alon HaGalil one recent afternoon, a clinical psychologist and former Israeli special forces member named Yotam Dagan was worrying about how the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, are going to react the next time the school holds a fire drill. "If it's just done without any early preparation or warning, the sound of the bell is going to reactivate the traumatic response," Dagan told me, remembering that the shooter who slaughtered 17 innocent people on February 14 at the school is said to have pulled the fire alarm to empty the classrooms. "There are going to be meltdowns. There are going to be panic attacks." (Tapper, 3/8)
The CT Mirror:
Rubio To Introduce 'Red-Flag' Bill, As Will Blumenthal
Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday said he is introducing a bill that would provide federal grants to states for establishing gun violence restraining orders – and said he doubted a broader one Sen. Richard Blumenthal plans to introduce Thursday would pass the Senate. The issue of removing guns from people who, like Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, had raised “red flags”– had indicated they were a danger to themselves or others — has gained support after the massacre of 17 at a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day. (Radelat, 3/7)
