Florida governor signs gun-school safety bill into law weeks after school massacre

First major gun-control state law in Florida in decades, narrowly passes state Senate

WASHINGTON: Florida Governor Rick Scott on Friday signed into law a major gun-control and school safety legislation, three weeks after a high school shooting left 17 dead and 14 others injured in the traditionally gun-friendly southeastern US state.

"I am going to do what I think are common sense solutions," Scott said after the signing. "I think this is the beginning. There is now going to be a real conversation about how we make our schools safe."

The bill, the first major gun-control state law in Florida in decades, narrowly passed the state Senate in a 20-to-18 vote on Monday before sailing through the House of Representatives on Wednesday in a 67-50 vote. Both the state House and Senate are controlled by Republicans.

"I have not spoken to anybody in the NRA (National Rifle Association) since this happened," said Scott, who previously received an A-plus rating from the most influential anti-gun control group in the country.

Meanwhile, he criticised the inaction in the White House and Capitol. "If you look at the federal government, nothing seems to have happened there," he said.



Currently, the US Senate has no gun control bill scheduled for debate, and the only measure moving in the House of Representatives is a bill seeking for more training for students and teachers to address the school shooting.

According to the new Florida state law, the minimum age to buy any type of gun is raised to 21 years old from 18, though with some exceptions. The buyers also need to wait for three days before receiving a firearm in most cases.



The new measure also includes banning the sale of bump stocks that can make semiautomatic rifles perform like fully automatic ones, investing 400 million dollars in improving mental-health services and boosting physical security of school buildings, as well as a controversial "guardian" program to train and arm some voluntary school personnel.

However, facing opposition from Scott and many residents in Parkland, the "guardian" program will exclude people who exclusively perform classroom duties, said local media reports.

The legislation also excludes proposals to ban assault weapons like AR15 and other semiautomatic rifles.

On Wednesday, Nikolas Cruz was formally indicted on murder charges over the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb 14.