TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -— A bill that would have allowed guns to be carried openly on college campuses has been amended to restore current law prohibiting firearms at schools. The change is owed in part to the testimony of Robert Cowie, the father of a girl who was accidentally shot at an off-campus apartment at Florida State University in January.
Rules Committee chairman John Thrasher (R-St. Augustine), who wields considerable influence over which bills make it to the Senate floor, did not support the legislation, The Miami Herald reports. Thrasher is reportedly a close friend of Robert Cowie.
The bill would still allow concealed-weapon permit holders to carry their firearms out in the open – but not on school grounds – as long as they wear identification and store their firearms in safe holsters. The legislation may face a vote at the Criminal Justice Committee’s meeting on Monday.
Two other gun rights bills have been introduced this session. One would prevent physicians from asking patients about firearms in the home; another would restrict local governments in Florida from passing gun-control laws.
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