A proposal to expand Florida’s armed “school guardian” program to colleges and universities advanced Tuesday in the Florida House, following a deadly on-campus shooting at Florida State University last year.
The Education & Employment Committee unanimously approved the bill (HB 757), which would allow select faculty and staff at postsecondary institutions to receive training and carry firearms. The proposal builds on school safety measures enacted after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, said the proposal was shaped by input from students, parents, faculty, and staff across Florida’s college system.
“This bill creates both a prevention and response mechanism unlike any other,” Salzman said. “It will be a beacon for the nation.”
The legislation follows a 2025 shooting at FSU in which a student killed two people and injured five others. Salzman, who was enrolled in a graduate program at FSU at the time, recalled receiving real-time messages and videos from classmates during the incident.
“It was an extremely difficult moment,” she said. “Those of us off campus felt helpless, and those on campus felt the same.”
Opponents argue the bill could make campuses less safe. Emily Stewart, an assistant professor of geology at FSU, described confusion during the shooting when armed law enforcement officers were unsure if additional shooters were present.
“What if I had stepped into the hallway holding a weapon to protect my students?” Stewart asked. “How would police know who the threat was?”
Supporters, including Rep. Alex Rizo, R-Hialeah, said improving school safety requires ongoing effort and adaptation.
“School safety is a moving target,” Rizo said. “We learn from past failures and keep working to improve.”
Under the proposal, college and university presidents could designate trained faculty or staff to carry concealed weapons on campus. The bill also requires schools to promote the FortifyFL reporting app, strengthen threat assessment record transfers from K–12 to higher education, enforce stricter penalties for gunfire near schools, and adopt comprehensive active assailant response and mental health plans.
The bill must still clear the Budget Committee before reaching the full House. A similar Senate measure has not yet been heard.