FORT MYERS
Fort Myers mom creates affordable prom experience for students
Prom is often seen as an essential part of the high school experience. However, not everyone can or wants to afford it.
FGCU students voice concerns over proposed campus gun legislation
Video Player is loading.
New legislation is stirring concerns among students at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) as a bill proposes expanding concealed carry rights onto college campuses.
Some students worry about the implications of making guns more accessible to their peers.
Daniel Coelho, an FGCU student, said he feels safe on campus due to the presence of law enforcement.
“I always see cops around here, so I feel really safe,” Coelho said.
However, some students are apprehensive about the proposed changes. Marlin Smith, another FGCU student, expressed his concerns about the necessity of the bill.
“If the wheel is not broken, why fix it? I felt very safe on campus. I’d be curious to, like, who’s really pushing for it right now,” Smith said.
The bill, filed as Senate Bill 814 by Florida State Sen. Randy Fine, aims to extend concealed carry rights to college campuses. Fine defended the bill, stating, “The Second Amendment does not take the semester off when you step on a college campus.”
He added that because universities are protecting “Muslim terror advocates” and there is “no magic force field,” students should have the same rights on campus as they do off.
Michael Ryan, another FGCU student, disagreed with the rationale behind the bill.
“It doesn’t sit right with me, with that being the driving fact,” Ryan said.
Franceska Gabriel, an FGCU student, typically supports concealed carry but has reservations about it on college campuses.
“I think there should be a lot of precautions about it and go through, like, a lot of tests and things like that to make sure that you’re stable enough to conceal and carry, especially on a college campus,” Gabriel said.
Currently, Florida is a permitless carry state, and campuses like FGCU do not allow any guns on campus. Lawmakers will consider this bill, along with another that proposes lowering the age to purchase a gun from 21 to 18, when the regular session starts on March 4.
WINK News will continue to monitor the developments on these legislative proposals.