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Seven months after Florida lawmakers voted to allow faculty and staff to train as “guardians” and carry guns on campus, at least one Florida college has opted in.
Earlier this year, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 757, making it the latest state to allow firearms on public college campuses. Although some policies are limited to people with a carry license, at least 13 other states—including Georgia, Texas and Wyoming—have enacted various campus carry laws since the early 2000s.
The Florida program is voluntary and requires guardians to complete 144 hours of training, including 132 hours of firearm training and 12 hours of conflict de-escalation tactics; undergo psychological evaluation; and submit to random drug tests.
Passed in the wake of a shooting at Florida State University, the law faced opposition from advocacy groups Everytown for Gun Safety, Florida Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, who argued that bringing more guns onto campuses wouldn’t make them safer, as supporters of gun rights claimed. Since the law took effect in May, the groups have been tracking how many colleges and universities have opted in to the program.
On Monday, the advocacy groups announced in a news release that no institutions have decided to participate yet. The Florida Phoenix also reached out to several colleges across the state about whether they plan to implement the guardian program and only received a reply from the University of South Florida, which is “currently reviewing” it.
However, last week, New College of Florida announced to faculty and staff that it is opting in to the program, according to an email obtained by Inside Higher Ed on Wednesday.
(This story was updated at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 14 to reflect new information about New College's participation in the program.)
