Medicine

NRA sues Florida to block part of new gun law

March 12, 2018 11:35·
Students were evacuated from the Stoneman Douglas campus on February 14

Students were evacuated from the Stoneman Douglas campus on February 14

The bill signed Friday raises the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21, extends a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases to include long guns and bans bump stocks that allow guns to mimic fully automatic fire.

The events are organized by local participants in the ENOUGH: National School Walkout, which is backed by Women's March Youth EMPOWER to demand congressional action on federal gun reform.

"We had an incredible session, but probably the most important thing we did this year is we listened to the families of Parkland", said Gov. Rick Scott, who joined legislative leaders at an end-of-session ceremony.

Scott received the bill Thursday following days of impassioned, often contentious debate in the majority-Republican House and Senate.

It also includes a voluntary "guardian program" named after Coach Aaron Feis who was slain in the Parkland attack, which is meant to "aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises" by allowing some school employees to be armed.

Lily Eskelsen García, president of the NEA, the teachers lobby, said last month that "bringing more guns into our schools does nothing to protect our students and educators from gun violence".

The governor, who met with victims' families in Tallahassee before his announcement, expressed reservations about the provisions to arm personnel. "You made a difference".

Knife attacker killed outside Iranian ambassador's Vienna home
" Iranian residency: unknown knife attacker was shot dead by the Austrian armed forces", the police posted on Twitter. The soldier suffered a cut on his arm and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Kentucky Selected for Record 57th NCAA Tournament
The Cavaliers will play the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the first round Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina . Sometimes that happens, like SC reaching the Final Four as a No. 7 seed last season, but more than often, it doesn't.

Donald Trump considers ex-Microsoft executive as top economic adviser
Chamber of Commerce Thomas Donohue said his organization was very concerned about the potential for retaliation and a trade war. "It looks a little nasty when you watch it on the news, or as I sometimes call it, the Fake News", Trump said .

Seventeen people were killed on February 14 when a 19-year-old former student stormed into a school building spraying fire from an AR-15 assault rifle. Hammer, a former national president of the gun-rights group, accused House leaders of forcing Republicans to support the measure, which the House passed Wednesday in a 67-50 vote.

"Females between the ages of 18 and 21 pose a relatively slight risk of perpetrating a school shooting. or, for that matter, a violent crime of any kind", says the lawsuit.

While signing the bill on Friday, Scott said the gun reform "should serve as an example to the entire country that government can and must move fast". The program is voluntary, and qualified staff members who want to carry a gun must take 144 hours of training.

The union said teachers should not have to choose between confronting a gunman or getting their students to safety.

The White House also supports a second bill that would create a federal grant program to train students, teachers and school officials how to identify signs of potential violence and intervene early.

Teachers who "exclusively" perform classroom instruction would be excluded from the program, meaning teachers who have other duties, such as drama coaches, would be eligible to participate.

The bill has been an important political consideration for Scott, who is facing term limits as governor and is widely expected to challenge Florida's Democratic US senator, Bill Nelson, in November's midterm election.

Recommended News

Join The Conversation

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.