Following a recent deadly shooting, students from Florida State University, who also endured the tragic mass shooting in Parkland in 2018, have reached out to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. They are urging him to halt efforts to revert the minimum firearm purchase age back to 18. This law, which currently requires individuals to be 21 to purchase a gun, was enacted as part of a comprehensive gun reform package after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, one of the deadliest in U.S. history.
The FSU students, many of whom survived the Parkland tragedy, have experienced a second school shooting and are now advocating against the proposed legislative changes. A group of 28 students, led by one of the founders of March For Our Lives, expressed in their letter that the consideration to lower the gun purchase age is both “unthinkable” and “dangerous.”
These advocates, including Jacklyn Corin, highlight the life-saving impact of the current law over the past seven years. They point out the irony of threatening this legislation in the wake of another school shooting involving students who have been previously vocal about gun control.
Governor DeSantis and some Republican lawmakers support the measure, arguing that individuals old enough to join the military should also be allowed to buy guns. However, Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez supports the proposal, while Senate President Ben Albritton remains hesitant. Albritton, a National Rifle Association lifetime member, shared emotional reflections during a March press conference about his visit to the Parkland high school where 17 people were killed in 2018.
The future of this measure remains uncertain, as it has not yet been heard in the state Senate, with the legislative session set to conclude next week. The shooting near Florida State University, just minutes from the state Capitol, adds complexity to the debate.
The letter sent by the students states, “Rolling it back would dishonor the lives we lost in Parkland and Tallahassee and amount to a slap in the face to survivors and to the countless lives that law has helped protect. It ignores the trauma we carry and sends a clear message to students: the state of Florida sees our lives as expendable.”
The 2018 legislation raising the gun purchase age to 21 was a direct response to the Parkland shooting, where a 19-year-old gunman is now serving a life sentence for the violence that occurred on Valentine’s Day seven years ago.
The recent incident involved a 20-year-old FSU student who opened fire near the student union with a former service weapon belonging to a deputy sheriff parent. This tragic event resulted in two fatalities and six injuries.
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare reported that three patients were released from the hospital on Monday morning, with two more expected to be discharged later that day. The sixth patient remains in “good condition.”
