By Trimmel Gomes, Florida News Connection
Florida State University students joined survivors of past mass shootings at the state Capitol this week, demanding that Gov. Ron DeSantis veto a bill that would lower the gun purchasing age to 18.
The protest follows last week's shooting at FSU's Student Union, the state's sixth mass shooting this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
When the alerts flashed across his phone, Caim Strickland was working on an engineering lab project. He spoke moments after the campuswide lockdown was lifted.
Related: Flags will fly at half-staff until Monday for FSU shooting.
"Campus has always been a safe place, so to see this happen is crazy," he said. "You always hear about it happening elsewhere, other schools, but you never really think it's going to happen here."
The shooting, which killed two and injured six, marked F-S-U's first on-campus gun violence incident since 2014. It occurred weeks after the Florida House passed a bill to lower the gun purchase age from 21 to 18. However, Senate leaders confirmed they had already decided before the shooting not to take up the bill this session, effectively stalling it.
Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, helped craft mental-health reforms after the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and said her focus now is on trauma response.
"I think what's important right now is that everybody gets the help and support they need. I have seen what happens in the aftermath of these traumatic situations, and unaddressed trauma is very detrimental to people," she explained.
The 2018 Parkland massacre left 17 dead and 17 wounded on Valentine's Day. It ranks among America's deadliest school shootings.
The tragedy prompted then-Gov. Rick Scott to sign a package of reforms, including raising Florida's minimum age for rifle purchases to 21, matching the federal standard already in place for handguns. The National Rifle Association quickly launched a constitutional challenge after the changes.
