Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia (R) joined with Democrats three weeks before Florida State University (FSU) shooting and rejected legislation that would have allowed students to be armed for self-defense.
Breitbart News noted the campus carry legislation, SB 814, would be taken up on March 25, and would give Republicans the opportunity to allow college students to carry firearms on campus for self-defense.
State Sen. Randy Fine (R) sponsored SB 814 and issued a press release on the bill in February, saying:
Adults should have the right to protect themselves on campus, particularly after so many universities across America chose to protect Muslim terror advocates over their own students. There is no magic force field that keeps criminals from carrying a gun onto campus; this bill will ensure that students have the same rights on campus as they do off.
On March 26, Breitbart News reported that Garcia crossed the aisle to vote with Democrats, killing SB 814 and eliminating the opportunity for college and university students to be armed for self-defense.
On April 17, at least six people were injured after an individual opened fire on unarmed students at FSU’s student union.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, a Pulsar Night Vision pro-staffer, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly:
