An Alabama legislator wants to change state law so that people younger than 21 could not buy assault-style semiautomatic rifles.
Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, introduced the bill on Tuesday in response to last week's mass shooting that claimed 17 lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
Authorities said the 19-year-old former student accused in the shooting legally bought the AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle that he used in the massacre.
Federal law sets the minimum age to buy a handgun at 21 but allows 18-year-olds to purchase rifles.
"The killer in Florida was able to go out and purchase an assault weapon, 19 years of age," Givan said. "That's ridiculous."
States can impose stricter age requirements for gun purchases than the federal law, which Givan's bill proposes to do.
Givan's bill defines "assault weapon." The definition includes semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines and one or more other features, such as a pistol grip and second handgrip.
Givan's proposal comes amid of wave of responses by lawmakers and others to the Florida shooting.
Rep. Will Ainsworth has proposed a bill to allow schools to designate teachers and administrators who would receive training and carry concealed guns at schools.
President Trump has endorsed the idea of trained teachers carrying guns, suggesting they should receive bonuses. Trump has also indicated he would support raising the minimum age to buy certain weapons.
Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said age restrictions on gun purchases should be part of the debate on how to make schools safer.
"It's only to me common sense that people have to be deemed mature to do certain things," Marsh said. "We do that on alcohol and cigarettes and other things. Obviously assault weapons should be one of them. So yeah, I can see that it's justified to look at raising ages. And it's worth the discussion for sure."
Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, has proposed allowing school systems to tap a special pot of money for school security purposes. The Advancement and Technology Fund receives a portion of education tax revenues left over after the state reaches its annual spending cap. The fund received $56 million in 2016.
Schools can use money from the fund for repairs and deferred maintenance, classroom instructional support, transportation and education technology and equipment. Pittman's bill would add school security to those allowed uses.
House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said some school systems need funding to help with security needs such as police officers assigned to schools, secure locks and surveillance cameras.
McCutcheon said he was not ready to endorse any legislation, but wants to promote debate and a broad-based approach to improving school safety.
The speaker, who is retired from a career in law enforcement, said the proposal to have some teachers carry guns raises questions about liability for schools.
"They may go through a firearms course and be able to shoot the center out of the target," McCutcheon said. "But it's much, much more than that. It's the shoot, don't shoot, the mental capacity to being able to make those decisions. Being identified with the law enforcement community that would be responding. The safety of the children. All of these are things that we need to be discussing or debating."
Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, issued a statement opposing the idea of arming teachers.
"Allowing loaded guns in all our classrooms will pose greater dangers to our students and to our teachers," Daniels said. "With access to qualified mental health services almost nonexistent in our state, putting guns in our schools is clearly not the answer."
Daniels said law enforcement, teachers, mental health caregivers and others need to help determine the best way to improve school safety.
"Let's make sure we are doing everything possible to keep guns from falling into the wrong hands and prevent these mass killings from happening in the future," Daniels said.
Gov. Kay Ivey said policy-makers need to find ways to improve school safety other than arming teachers. Ivey suggested metal detectors as one possible part of the solution.
Ainsworth said educators in his district asked for the legislation and said what it proposes would be comparable to armed, undercover air marshals on commercial flights. His bill has more than 30 co-sponsors.
Marsh said discussions about school safety policies must involve those most directly affected.
"I think we've just all got to decide to sit down, talk these things through and decide what's best and make sure the educators are in the room to have this discussion before we start dictating what they will or will not do in those classrooms," Marsh said.
McCutcheon said he did not expect Ainsworth's bill or Givan's bill to advance next week.
Givan said she hopes her bill can at least be discussed in a committee this year to help promote the debate.
"And if they don't pass it this year, I'm coming back next year," Givan said.