Florida state Senate narrowly passes gun-control package

On Monday, the Florida Senate passed a bill focusing on guns and school safety programs. The legislation would enact a three-day waiting period to purchase any gun, invest $400 million in mental health services, raise the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21, and ban the purchase and possession of bump stocks.

The bill, named the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, narrowly passed on a 20-18 vote. It does not ban the sale of assault and assault-style weapons in the state or set limits on high-capacity magazines, but it does include an amendment that sets up a school marshal program, allowing certain school staff members to carry concealed weapons on campus.

Several Democrats opposed the bill, saying it doesn't go far enough to stop another school shooting like the one in Parkland that left 17 people dead and should not include arming school staff, while some conservative Republicans voted against it because of the waiting period provision and age restriction. The bill now heads to the Florida House; the legislative session ends March 9.

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