Florida lawmaker proposing new law to let students carry guns on college campuses
MELBOURNE, Fla. - College students could soon be allowed to carry guns at universities in Florida.
Jewish Republican lawmaker Randy Fine says he plans to file the new legislation in Florida because Jewish students are in danger.
Protests are erupting at college campuses all over the country right now over the Israel-Hamas war, and some are getting violent.
Fine said that if this were to pass, he would use taxpayer funds to offer training courses to any college student who wants to learn how to use and carry a gun. He says, universities are failing to keep their students safe, so they should be armed to protect themselves.
"There will be hell to pay when I get to the legislature next year," said Randy Fine. "Many of our universities aren’t interested in protecting the safety of Jewish students, so we need to make sure they can protect themselves."
The lawmaker who’s now running for the Florida Senate says students need protection because protests on the Israel-Hamas war are getting dangerous, and parents agree.
"I have friends whose children attend Columbia and have gone home based on recommendations that the campus environment is not safe," said Talli Dippold, who’s the chief executive officer of the Holocaust Memorial Center.
Dippold joined Good Day Orlando on Wednesday morning, saying free speech and protesting are always allowed on college campuses, but what’s happening right now is different.
"What is not ok that is going on in campuses is students feeling unsafe and having individuals outside the campus community, trespassers, enter," said Dippold.
Fine said that if his new law passes, no student would be required to take a gun safety course or carry a firearm, but he believes it’s time for "gun bans" at colleges to end.