Florida lawmakers are taking significant steps to expand the state’s armed “school guardian” program to include colleges and universities. This initiative follows a tragic shooting at Florida State University (FSU) during the 2025 legislative session, where a student killed two individuals and injured five others. On Tuesday, the Education & Employment Committee unanimously endorsed the proposal, known as HB 757.
Legislative Proposal Aims for Comprehensive Safety
The proposed legislation seeks to train and arm select post-secondary employees, building on measures implemented in the public school system after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Representative Michelle Salzman, who sponsored the bill, emphasized that the proposal was crafted with input from students, parents, faculty, and staff at state colleges and universities. “This bill creates a prevention and a response mechanism unlike any other,” Salzman stated. “This will be the beacon for the nation.”
During the tragic incident at FSU, Salzman was enrolled in the university’s Applied American Politics and Policy master’s program. She described the panic and confusion among her classmates as they received live updates of the shooting. “It was a very hard moment for a lot of us. We felt very helpless,” she shared. This personal experience has fueled her commitment to enhancing campus safety.
Concerns Raised About Implementation
While many support the measure, some faculty members have voiced concerns. Emily Stewart, an assistant professor of geology at FSU, recounted the chaos following the shooting, where armed law enforcement officers mistakenly pointed guns at her, believing there might be additional shooters on campus. “What if I had stepped into the hallway holding a weapon because I wanted to protect my students?” she questioned. “During the shooting, law enforcement knew the only people on campus with firearms should be other law enforcement or the active shooter.”
Stewart raised valid concerns about how introducing armed civilians, even those with limited training, could complicate law enforcement’s response in a crisis.
Supporters of the legislation, such as Representative Alex Rizo, argue that the need for improved school safety measures is urgent. Rizo noted, “School safety is an ongoing moving target. It’s something that we always strive to perfect, get better.”
If approved, the bill would allow college and university presidents to designate trained employees who would be eligible to receive a concealed-weapons license to carry firearms on campus. The proposal also includes several key provisions:
- Post-secondary institutions must promote the use of the mobile suspicious activity reporting tool FortifyFL.
- Records related to a student’s behavior, including threat assessments and psychological evaluations, must be transferred when moving from K-12 schools to colleges or universities.
- Shooting a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or activities would be classified as a second-degree felony, unless the action was in lawful self-defense.
- Schools would be required to adopt active assailant response plans, train faculty and staff to address mental health issues, and establish threat management teams.
The proposal still requires approval from the Budget Committee before it can be presented on the House floor. A companion measure in the Senate, designated as SB 896, has not yet been reviewed by a committee.
This legislative push reflects ongoing efforts to enhance safety in educational environments, particularly in light of the increasing number of incidents on college campuses across the United States. As the bill progresses, it continues to spark discussions about the balance between safety measures and the potential risks involved with arming civilians in educational settings.
