Florida lawmakers pass gun legislation in response to Parkland shooting

Florida lawmakers on Wednesday approved a measure that would raise the minimum age for purchasing most firearms and devote millions of dollars to amping up school security, including training and arming school employees.

The compromise on new gun control measures came in response to a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month that left 17 people dead and more than a dozen others injured.

Lawmakers in the Florida House voted 67-50 to approve the legislation, which raises the minimum age to purchase rifles from 18 to 21 and imposes a three-day wait period for most purchases of those guns, The Associated Press reported.

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The bill also creates new mental health programs for schools and aims to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who show signs of mental illness.

The legislation now goes to Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to be signed. 

The shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School reignited the national debate over gun control measures, putting pressure on lawmakers at the state and national levels to take swift action on gun violence.

Student survivors at the high school emerged as some of the most vocal advocates for new gun control laws following the attack, organizing marches and visiting Tallahassee to push state lawmakers on the matter.

The accused shooter in the Parkland attack, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was formally charged on Wednesday with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Cruz’s public defender has said that the teen will plead guilty to the charges if prosecutors agree not to seek the death penalty. The state attorney prosecuting that case, Michael Satz, has not yet said whether he will seek a death sentence for Cruz.