When I was at the Gun Rights Policy conference in Florida last month, one of the presentations covered the FASTER (Faculty/Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response) program in Ohio. The FASTER program has been and continues to be a tremendous success story. Staff and teachers love it, embrace it, and recommend it to others.
A survey done by the University of South Florida found that there was likely to be a favorable response if such a program were offered in Florida. From sunshinestatenews.com:
Most Floridians say they support trained staff carrying firearms on school campuses, according to a new survey released Tuesday.
The 2016 University of South Florida Sunshine State Survey found more than half of adult Floridians (56 percent) are in favor of allowing trained staff to carry firearms at schools.
Forty percent of Floridians say they are opposed to allowing firearms in schools, with 29 percent saying they are strongly opposed to the idea.
“Stronger supporters are males, working-age residents, whites, those living in affluent households, college graduates, and residents of the Orlando and North Florida areas,” the USF release said. Residents of the Orlando and North Florida areas are more likely to favor the idea.
Opposition comes from females, older Floridians, African-Americans, lower-income households, those with less formal education and residents of the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area.
Sean Caranna of Florida Carry is working to bring FASTER to Florida.
The Buckeye Firearms Foundation’s Jim Irvine’s experience in Ohio is that the 11 percent who oppose trained staff carrying firearms will switch to favoring it once they understand the program. It’s likely that even a few of the 29% who were strongly opposed will switch, too. Most of the opposition is based on fear and ignorance.
Florida Carry has significant experience in lobbying the legislature where the battle will be fought. A bill to authorize programs such as FASTER in Sunshine State schools was killed in the Senate, along with an open carry bill.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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