LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – Recent mass shootings have renewed the discussion about whether students should be allowed to carry guns on college campuses, including those in Florida.
The Florida Senate recently struck down a bill that would’ve allowed permitted students to carry weapons on the campuses of state universities.
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Florida Polytechnic University sophomore Andre Goode doesn’t agree with that. Goode wants to carry a gun for protection. He’s with the Students for Concealed Carry group.
“This bill is not about arming the student population. This bill is about safety and crime prevention and most of all it is about our civil rights to be able to defend ourselves,” Goode said.
But, university officials say allowing students to be armed, even if they are permitted, is a bad idea. “As a university we are committee to campus security and we believe that allowing the concealed carry weapons on our campus would threaten the safety of our students faculty and staff,” Fl. Poly spokesperson Crystal Lauderdale said.
The university’s police chief said students with guns on campus would pose a challenge in a crisis situation. “Post-Columbine everything has changed. Our concern is we can’t get in fast enough if we have all these weapons on campus, so we don’t know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are,” Chief Richard Holland said.
Some students questioned whether guns on campus would make people safer. “I have never felt unsafe on my campus and I worry that if they do bring guns on campus that that would change,” freshman Samantha Hart said.READ MORE:
