by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News April 18, 2025

Late last month, Florida lawmakers blocked legislation that would have allowed college students in the state to carry firearms on campus for self-defense.

Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia voted with Democrats to defeat the legislation by a 4-3 vote in the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.

A mass shooting at Florida State University on Thursday left two dead and five injured.

Leon County Sheriff Walter A. McNeil identified the shooter as 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, but did not state a motive. McNeil said that Ikner is the son of Leon County Sheriff’s deputy and had access to one of her weapons, which was found at the scene of Thursday’s shooting.

Ikner and the five living victims have been hospitalized.

Florida is a constitutional carry state, meaning that residents do not need a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

But the state currently does not permit the open carry of firearms nor the concealed carry of weapons on public college campuses.

Republican state Sen. Randy Fine, who sponsored SB814, issued a press release on the bill in February, saying:

“Adults should have the right to protect themselves on campus, particularly after so many universities across America chose to protect Muslim terror advocates over their own students. There is no magic force field that keeps criminals from carrying a gun onto campus; this bill will ensure that students have the same rights on campus as they do off.”

Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeilrevealed shared the information about the FSU shooter:

“The shooter is 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, and he’s a son of a Leon County Sheriff deputy. Our deputy, Deputy Ikner, has been with the Leon County Sheriff’s Office for over 18 years. She has a… https://t.co/yiPkSYy2fD pic.twitter.com/TI71ihblvf

— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) April 17, 2025

Timely: Defund Fake News

The American Free Press is Back!

  Lawmakers blocked campus carry legislation just weeks before Florida State shooting, WorldTribune.com