The Irony Board: Florida Gun Laws

In yesterday's Wondering on Wednesday post, one of the topics of discussion was the Florida legislature sending gun legislation to Republican Governor Rick Scott.

The wonderment came from the speed with which the bipartisan bills were passed after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, and how it proved that, yes, something can be done if people are willing. The multi-pronged package included an option for people on school campuses to be armed, and today Representative Randy Fine appeared on NPR's Morning Edition and talked with host Rachel Martin about the changes.

Martin asked him about the provision raising the age to 21 for all gun purchases. Fine, a Republican, had just last week made it known he was not a fan.

Well, I still didn't like the idea, but the bill was a comprehensive $400 million solution And in life, sometimes we have to take the bad with the good, and that's what many of us did in passing this compromise legislation.

That's the right spirit for legislators to have - compromise, take the bad with the good, focus on the big picture. I mean, this could have been a single bill raising the age, or a single bill addressing bump stocks, and so on - but if that was the case, we wouldn't be talking about legislation awaiting the governor's signature, would we?

Now -- what makes this an Irony Board post?

Well, Florida has some training requirements on the books if a person wants to carry a concealed weapon or firearm. For example, completing a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission hunter education course, or an NRA training course, or a similar course offered by a law enforcement agency, a college, or similar institution. Absent the training, military service or participating in organized shooting competitions will count, as will already having a license to carry a firearm.

And now, with the new gun legislation package, they've defined some requirements for teachers to become 'guardians' and carry firearms on campus. Here's how Fine described it.

If sheriffs choose to participate and school districts choose to participate, teachers will have the option to become guardians if they go through 132 hours of training, psychology tests, weapons training. 

Clearly, we don't want anyone carrying weapons on campus if they're not sufficiently trained, and are not psychologically OK to do so. And it's probably not all that much to ask a teacher who wants this extra level of responsibility to give up over 16 days of their own time to get all of this training so they can protect themselves from a legal or illegal gun owner with a really bad idea in mind.

But by comparison, here's how long it takes to complete each of the courses listed on the NRA's training curriculum:

• First Steps Rifle or First Steps Shotgun Orientation -at least three hours long
• Basic Rifle Shooting Course - at least eight hours long
• Basic Shotgun Shooting Course - at least ten hours long
• Basic Pistol course - no timeframe given
• Basics of Pistol Shooting - which can be completed in one day
• Carry Guard Level 1 Training Course - a three-day 'intensive' course

Isn't it ironic,at least a little, how little training is required to carry a concealed firearm, versus what's going to be required for the guardians?