Florida Senate rejects ban on assault weapons, approves bill allowing teachers to carry guns in school

Florida lawmakers sot down a bill that would have banned semi-automatic 'assault' weapons such as the AR-15 used in the Parkland school massacre.

However, they did agree to raise the legal age for purchasing a firearm to 21 as well as approve legislation that would give teachers the right to carry guns in school.

The amendments were introduced as part of a packaged set of bills following Nikolas Cruz's shooting spree that left 17 students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School dead on Valentine's Day.

According to NBC-2, Florida's Senate Rules Committee spent more than two hours debating the gun-control issues before eventually casting their votes.

In addition to raising the legal purchase age and giving teachers the right to carry, senators also agreed to confiscate guns from people with mental health issues.

The assault weapons amendment, was rejected by a seven-to-six vote with senators voting along party lines.  

A similar packaged set of reforms is scheduled to be taken up by the House Rules Committee on Tuesday. 

The Senate's proposed legislation is slated to go through its second and final committee on Tuesday before being voted on later in the week.

Both the House and Senate versions have to be identical to go to Florida Governor Rick Scott to be signed into law, reported the Sun Sentinel.

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