During the November 20 attack at Florida State University (FSU) a student–who is also an Army combat vet–was close enough to the gunman to shoot and kill him but was not allowed to have a handgun for self-defense even though he has a concealed carry permit (CCP). This is because Florida law currently bans campus carry.
A bill to change that law and allow campus carry was thwarted by current FSU President John Thrasher in 2011, when he was a state senator.
According to Students for Concealed Carry at Florida State (SCCFS), the student had a CCP and a “clear shot at the shooter” but the campus carry ban rendered him defenseless when 31-year-old Myron May opened fire. In other words, although he had “the training and skills necessary to end the shooting… [the student was] powerless due to Florida’s laws.”
The Miami Herald reports that news of the FSU shooting, and the defenseless posture it left students in, has already stirred lawmakers to talk about lifting the campus carry ban. House speaker Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) said a time of grieving over the FSU tragedy needs to be honored, after which the legislature “will consider all factors that contribute to stopping tragedies like this from happening in the future.”
SCCFS is calling on FSU President Thrasher to change his position on campus carry and support the right for students with CCPs to carry handguns for self-defense.
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