Hints of strained bipartisanship as panel clears school safety package for full House vote

A Florida House committee voted Tuesday to put armed teachers in classrooms in response to the Valentine's Day massacre at a Parkland high school.

A first-of-its-kind “school marshal” program is the key component of a safety package assembled in the wake of protests over Florida gun laws provoked by the state’s third mass shooting in less than 18 months.

Committee Chair Rep. Carlos Trujillo, R-Miami-Dade, limited debate on proposed amendments to enable more than 200 speakers to testify.

Parents and friends of the 17 killed by semi-automatic weapon fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School provided more than four hours of anguished testimony before a vote was taken.

“We are here so a kindergartener can go back to school and I don’t cry when I drop off my son, a sophomore, at school," said one parent.

“I want no one to feel the pain in my body,” said Andrew Pollack, who lost a daughter Feb. 14.  

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The bill, sent to the House floor with a 23 – 6 bipartisan vote, would allow teachers who receive training and are certified by the local sheriff to carry a weapon in the classroom if the school district approves.

"It's a game changer," said House Speaker Richard Corcoran after the vote.

The House would mandate sheriff departments develop a training program for teachers but would leave participation up to the individual school districts.

"What it does is create a level of preparedness that we should have in the event a threat level rises and a superintendent decides that I think now maybe we would like to have this program," said Rep. Jose Oliva, R-Miami-Dade, who sponsored the mandate amendment.

The package also raises the minimum age to buy rifles to 21 and creates a three-day waiting period for most gun purchases. Trujillo praised members of both parties for working to find common ground amidst deep ravines in a long-running Second Amendment gun control debate.

“Republicans, a lot of us gave a lot. Democrats, a lot of us gave a lot,” said Trujillo. “I think it is a testament to how important it is to the community. How important it is to the state. And how important it is to us personally.”

One parent called the package the minimum lawmakers could do. Trujillo said it is an important step.

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Speakers repeatedly called on lawmakers to ban assault weapons. The panel rejected a Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, amendment to prohibit in Florida the guns used to take dozens of lives at Stoneman Douglas and Pulse Nightclub..

“People are furious,” said Smith before the vote. “Two-thirds of those polled want an assault weapons ban. Nearly 70 percent said they don’t want teachers armed. And what are we going to do? Armed teachers and keep assault weapons – this is why people hate politics.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, a Stoneman Douglas alum, voted for the bill. But he warned Republicans not to take his vote for granted as it moves forward.

He and other Democrats don’t like the bill.

“It doesn’t go far enough and now it goes too far in other areas,” said Moskowitz. “But the NRA opposes it and I will not vote with the NRA.”

Democratic lawmakers tried to amend the proposal to placate fears about the Stand Your Ground Law and a “cultural bias” that they believe puts minority students at risk.

Six who voted against the proposal immediately called a news conference and fumed about being “placed in a box” by the majority party — forced to cast votes that made it appear they were aligned with the NRA.

“When we went to bed last night, there was one bill that we all agreed upon and when we woke up this morning, there was a totally different bill we could not support,” said Rep. Shervin Jones, D- West Park, of amendments pertaining to the marshal program filed by Oliva that appeared in the early morning hours of Tuesday..

“Let’s get real,” said Rep. Bobby Dubose, D-Fort Lauderdale, about the minority party's lack of input. “This is not bipartisan. If this is bipartisan, then how is it not one of our amendments have been approved.”

NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer unsuccessfully called for the defeat of the bill. She said the gun restrictions were unnecessary and ineffective.

The proposal now goes to the House floor. A similar proposal to the Senate has one more committee stop. Lawmakers are in session until March 9 and are not expected back in Tallahassee until after the November election.

Reporter James Call can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com.