VOTE NO ON CS/HB757
February 23, 2026
Dear Members of the Florida State Legislature,
We, in alliance with the Florida Action Alliance coalition — including gun violence survivors, student leaders, educators, civil rights organizations, faith communities, parents, and gun safety advocates across Florida and the nation—write to express our deep and serious concerns regarding CS/HB 757. We recognize that the bill includes several well-intentioned revisions designed to improve campus safety. These measures are important, and we acknowledge the work that went into crafting them.
But positive elements in a bill cannot overshadow a provision that introduces profound new risks. The expansion of the Guardian Program onto Florida’s public colleges and universities is a step in the wrong direction—one that compromises student safety rather than strengthening it. A bill cannot be considered responsible or protective when it opens the door to more firearms in higher-education settings.
Allowing campus presidents to authorize certain employees—including faculty and staff—to carry firearms fundamentally alters the conditions under which students learn and live. Because eligibility is tied to employment, student workers could also potentially be designated as armed guardians. This blurs core boundaries between educators, students, and security roles, and it shifts campuses away from being places centered on learning, community, and intellectual freedom.
These concerns are not theoretical. Campus law enforcement experts have repeatedly warned that adding armed civilians into emergency situations increases confusion, heightens the risk of misidentification, and complicates crisis response. Even with training, civilian guardians cannot replicate the judgment, experience, and coordination of professional campus police officers. Introducing multiple armed actors into already chaotic, high-pressure scenarios does not enhance safety—it magnifies the risk of preventable tragedies.
The legal precedent is also clear. Justice Antonin Scalia’s decision in District of Columbia v. Heller affirmed the longstanding legality of prohibiting firearms in sensitive places such as schools. The Bruen ruling reaffirmed that restrictions on guns in higher-education settings align with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. Nothing in constitutional law requires Florida to expand firearms on college campuses. Choosing to do so is a policy decision—and a consequential one.
We ask you to consider the lived reality of the students affected by this decision. Young adults are already navigating academic pressures, rising mental health challenges, and financial stress. Expanding firearm access in this population increases risks of suicide, accidental shootings, and harmful escalation. For students from marginalized communities—Latino, Black, AAPI, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and first-generation college students—this shift adds layers of fear and insecurity at a time when many already feel vulnerable.
Many of you have built strong records supporting evidence-based gun safety measures—background checks, red flag laws, age restrictions, and investments in prevention. Supporting the Guardian expansion stands in direct tension with those values. Students, campus workers, and families are looking to you to show clarity, consistency, and courage at a moment when their safety is on the line.
As the bill moves forward, we strongly urge you VOTE NO on CS/HB 757 or remove the Guardian Program expansion. This provision is not necessary to advance the bill’s legitimate safety improvements, and its risks far outweigh its benefits. Taking action to correct this now will demonstrate a commitment to leadership rooted in evidence, responsibility, and the protection of Florida’s students and educators.
Florida’s colleges and universities must remain places of learning and belonging—not environments where firearms become a normalized part of academic life. We respectfully but firmly ask you to act to ensure our campuses remain safe spaces for all.
Sincerely,
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
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