Read a PDF of our statement here.
LDF Statement on Passage of Florida Gun Law
Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law Senate Bill 7026, a new set of gun regulations that are intended to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of all Floridians.
The new law imposes a three-day waiting period for most purchases of long guns, raises the minimum age for purchasing those weapons to 21, and bans the possession of bump stocks, devices that can make semi-automatic weapons fire like fully-automatic firearms. However, the law will allow school employees to carry guns and requires the placement of armed personnel in every school. The bill also failed to ban the purchase of assault rifles.
“Placing more guns in schools does not make schools safer,” said Todd A. Cox, Director of Policy at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF). “There is clear evidence showing that more law enforcement officers in schools puts students of color at great risk, furthers racial inequality and fuels the school-to-prison pipeline. As schools begin implementing this law, we urge officials to reject the call to arm teachers and instead focus on ensuring that all students have equal educational opportunities in a truly safe environment.”
LDF has been a long-time supporter of gun control efforts and programs that protect the safety and wellbeing of students, educators, and the communities in which they live. Instead of putting more guns in schools, LDF supports investing in programs like trauma-informed care and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports that have been proven effective at improving school climate, which is has been proven to keep kids safe.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
