Eric Friday
Partner, Kingry & Friday
I was recently interviewed by Fox 4 news in Vero Beach, FL regarding a ‘loophole’ they discovered about Florida gun legislation: Florida concealed carry law allows guns in preschools but not secondary or elementary schools.
In it, the reporter describes an incident where Frank Cook entered a preschool while under the influence of cocaine and another unidentified substance, while wearing a gun. Mr. Cook was later charged with resisting arrest, but not for carrying the gun. The State Attorney explained that Mr. Cook was a licensed concealed carry holder, and that state law does not make it illegal to carry while in a preschool or child care facility. That’s correct, but it’s noteworthy that snorting cocaine is illegal, as is possessing or purchasing a firearm if you are a user of illegal substances. Those laws didn’t stop Mr. Cook that day. It’s likely that a restriction on preschool carry would not have done so either. Time and again, research has proven that gun-free zones do not deter crime—they invite it.
The incident above prompted lawmaker Lori Berman to ask why guns were permitted in preschools while restricted in elementary and secondary schools, and to renew a push for legislation restricting licensed firearms from child care facilities.
Like Senator Burman, I would agree that preschoolers are equally worthy of the protections we afford all children. But I would suggest, respectfully, that the she’s asking the wrong question. Instead, she should be asking how we can better protect children in an incident like the one above. The answer?
Law-abiding citizens that can defend themselves and others, freely. A lawfully carried gun and its owner should be welcome in schools. All of them.
