FSU Shooting Victim Had CCP But Couldn’t Carry On Campus
One the victims wounded in the November 20 attack on the Florida State University (FSU) campus had a concealed carry permit (CCP) but was not allowed to carry his gun on campus for self-defense because of Florida law.
A bill to change that law and allow campus carry was thwarted by current FSU President John Thrasher in 2011, when he was a state senator.
According to Students for Concealed Carry at Florida State (SCCFS), shooting victim Nathan Scott has a CCP, but the campus carry ban rendered him defenseless when 31-year-old Myron May opened fire. In other words, although he had “the training and skills necessary to end the shooting… [Scott was] powerless due to Florida’s laws.”
The Miami Herald reports that news of the FSU shooting, and the defenseless posture it left students in, has already stirred lawmakers to talk about lifting the campus carry ban. House speaker Steve Crisafulli (R-Merritt Island) said a time of grieving over the FSU tragedy needs to be honored, after which the legislature “will consider all factors that contribute to stopping tragedies like this from happening in the future.”
SCCFS is calling on FSU President Thrasher to change his position on campus carry and support the right for students with CCPs to carry handguns for self-defense.