Fort Lauderdale airport shooting comes amid Florida debate about allowing open carry in airports

A gunman opened fire in the baggage claim area of the Fort Lauderdale airport in south Florida on Friday afternoon, killing five and injuring at least a dozen others. His gun, officials say, had been stored in his checked baggage, and he loaded it in the bathroom after claiming his bag before turning on the crowd.

The incident is likely to complicate the debate around new legislation in the state that would repeal "laws forbidding guns on college campuses, in airport terminals, and at government meetings," the Tallahassee Democrat writes.

While similar open carry attempts have failed to pass in recent years, state Sen. Greg Steube (R-Sarasota) is considered "one of the legislature's fiercest opponents to gun-free zones."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"If you want to kill as many people as possible before the cops arrive, then you are likely to go to a place where law-abiding citizens can't carry," Steube said last month. "That's what we've seen, time and time again, and why I think we shouldn't have [gun-free zones]."

Not everyone agrees: "I am not aware of one iota of data that indicates presidents, police chiefs, students, or teachers want guns on campus," said state Rep. Evan Jenne (D-Broward). "It is not a sound policy. It is politicians trying to placate their base, but it is not where we are as a state."