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Florida's school safety bill now in Scott's hands

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — After the Florida House on Wednesday narrowly passed a school safety bill with new restrictions on rifle sales and a program to arm some teachers, all eyes now turn to Gov. Rick Scott, who has declined to say if he will sign it.

"When the bill makes it to my desk, I'm going to take the time and I'm going to read the bill and I'm going to talk to families," Scott said Wednesday.

Scott has repeatedly said he doesn't support arming teachers and had pushed lawmakers to adopt his own proposal, which called for at least one law enforcement officer in every school and one for every thousand students who attend a school.

The Florida Senate narrowly passed the bill Monday.

The 67-50 House vote reflected a mix of Republicans and Democrats in support and opposition. The measure, a response to the shootings at a Parkland high school that left 17 dead, is supported by the victims' families.

The bill would raise the minimum age to buy rifles from 18 to 21 and create a three-day waiting period on sales of the weapons. It would also create a so-called guardian program that would let school employees and many teachers carry handguns if they go through law enforcement training and if the school district decides to participate in the program.

Other provisions would create new mental health programs for schools; establish an anonymous tip line where students and others could report threats to schools, ban bump stocks and improve communication between schools, law enforcement and state agencies.

On the same day of the vote, students at New Smyrna Beach High School gathered to remember those killed in the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The students spent two hours before school speaking out against gun violence and holding a memorial for the 17 victims.

The students observed an 18-minute moment of silence -- 17 minutes of which were meant to honor the Parkland shooting victims and one minute of which was intended to honor a classmate killed by gun violence.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.