TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ As about 100 Parkland high school students rallied for gun control laws outside the state Capitol, the Florida Senate postponed a vote on a bill that would allow private schools connected to churches to allow guns on their campuses.
The move from GOP leaders to delay the vote is the latest sign of how Florida's gun politics are shifting following the mass shooting last week at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead.
The bill, SB 1048, would only allow guns on campus after school hours, but Democratic Sens. Linda Stewart of Orlando and Gary Farmer of Lighthouse Point filed amendments to the bill to ban assault weapons and impose stricter background checks.
Republican Senate leaders are putting together a different bill that seeks to prevent future mass shootings, but a final draft hasn't been released. Leaders have said they're looking at banning assault weapon sales to those younger than 21 years old and increasing funding for school safety and mental health programs.
Gov. Rick Scott held workshop meetings with state agencies and law enforcement officials from around the state Tuesday and will present his own proposals in response to the shooting by the end of the week.
