Florida school shooting: Gov. Rick Scott says 'everything is on the table'

Ali Schmitz | Treasure Coast

Show Caption Hide Caption My friend is dead because they don't want to do their job Students from Broward county speak with Republican legislators

TALLAHASSEE — Everything is "on the table" when it comes to policy and budget decisions proposed in response to the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday.

That may include banning assault weapons, the governor told reporters Tuesday night after a roundtable discussion with mental health advocates, law enforcement personnel and state education leaders. Scott did not say outright that he supports a ban on assault weapons.

Scott said he will unveil a legislative plan by Friday that addresses what he believes needs to be done after the shooting that killed 17 students and staff members.

The roundtable discussion followed three separate meetings held by mental health professionals, education officials and law enforcement officers about what policies could be enacted after the shooting.

The education workshop focused on school safety improvements and updates that could be made to school security protocols and emergency plans.

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The mental health and child welfare workshop focused on ways to expand mental health services statewide and improve coordination between behavioral health partners.

The law enforcement workshop focused on ensuring that people who have mental illness do not have access to guns. They also discussed potential safety improvements for gun policies.

Frank Brogan, assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education and former lieutenant governor, applauded state officials for how they are responding to the shooting.

“If something better doesn’t come of this, all we’re going to have is an enormous tragedy," Brogan said.

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Public safety

A major topic during the public safety discussion was how the state can respond after a person is temporarily committed for mental health evaluation and treatment under the Baker Act.

Sheriffs said during the meeting that under current state law, they cannot seize someone's weapons while they are committed. Attorney General Pam Bondi said her office is researching whether police could temporarily take someone’s gun while they're committed. The person would have to go before a judge to get their weapons back under the proposal.

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Florida law would need to be changed to make that a reality.

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri expressed frustrations with the current background check system for gun owners, saying it wasn't a true check. The state requires gun shops to check only two things before determining if a buyer can purchase a gun: whether the buyer has a felony charge that prohibits him from owning one, and whether a court has determined the buyer is mentally ill.

Education

Scott said he would be interested in boosting school safety money in the wake of the tragedy.

The Florida Legislature has not increased the amount of money that Safe Schools, the state's school safety program, in seven years.

Education Secretary Pam Stewart said one other change that could be made is to require active shooter drills in all school districts. Districts are not required to train students on how to respond to a shooter.

Bondi also suggested having undercover security officers at each school.

Mental health

Department of Children and Families Secretary Mike Carroll pushed a "team-based" approach to mental health during the meeting. He said he'd like to see families and mental health providers to work together while treating children.

He also advocated for early intervention and identification programs to treat students with mental health issues.

During the workshop Tuesday morning, Heather Flynn, a clinical psychologist and professor at Florida State University's College of Medicine, suggested even talking with pregnant women.

“You can predict pretty well which families will have this forward trajectory even before the child is born,” Flynn said.

What do survivors want to see?

Student survivors of the shooting and Democrats in the legislature have called for the state to ban automatic weapons. The Florida House nixed a proposal by state Rep. Kionne McGhee, D-Miami, that would have allowed the Republican-controlled House to consider a ban on large-capacity magazines and assault rifles.

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