Despite paying lip service to increasing school safety, Florida Gov. Rick Scott refused to answer reporters' questions Wednesday when they asked him whether he'd sign a bill that would allow some teachers to carry weapons in schools in the wake of the mass shooting in Parkland on Valentine's Day.
"You know, the bill is still being debated," Scott said of the "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act," a sweeping piece of legislation that would simultaneously ban "bump stocks," increase the age to buy semi-automatic weapons to 21 and allow for more teachers and school staff to be armed on campuses.
"I've been clear, I don't think we ought to be arming teachers," the governor said when asked about the "marshal" provision in the bill, which would not arm teachers per se, but would allow other school personnel to be trained and armed. This could include "librarians, counselors and coaches," the New York Times noted on Tuesday.
Watch Scott's comments below, via Politico's Marc Caputo:
Part 1:
Gov. Rick Scott won’t say if he’ll sign the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act” not will he say if the House, debating it right now, should pass it. pic.twitter.com/W4RdlwSjSD
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) March 7, 2018
Part 2:
Noteworthy that Gov. Scott says some of the most-important voices in his decision-making are the MSD victims’ families.
All have urged the Legislature to pass the bill. So it would be a surprise if he vetoed it
Here’s the second half of the presser. Pardon the video overlap. pic.twitter.com/2MzcxNvD6s
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) March 7, 2018
