As a gunman terrorized the campus of Michigan State University on Monday night, killing three students and injuring five others before taking his own life, students like Katie Danna were barricading themselves in their dorm rooms.
“Even someone closing their door was scary to hear,” said Danna.
More than 1300 miles away, Florida is remembering the school shooting that killed 17 students, and injured 17 more, five years ago, Tuesday.
“Tuesday, we're gonna spend, privately, with my daughter at the cemetery. Which is how we've done it every year,” said Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Since his daughter’s death, Guttenberg has worked tirelessly to advocate for more restrictions on gun purchases.
He praised the bipartisan gun reform bill signed into law last summer by President Biden, the first of its kind in nearly 30 years.
“I am hopeful,” Guttenberg said, when asked about the future of gun laws in the U.S. “But we need one more election. With this current house, with these current leaders in the house who refuse to take safety seriously, we're gonna need to fire them. But I think we can get it done.”
While some advocates praise more gun control on the national level, on the state level Florida could expand gun rights in the coming months.
With super majorities both chambers of the state legislature, republicans have released their plans for permitless carry.
The bills, which have the support of Governor Ron DeSantis, would allow Floridians to carry concealed weapons without the currently required permits and training.
"We have a God-given and constitutional right to defend our families,” said Sen. Jay Collins (R) Tampa.
In the past five years, Florida has spent nearly a billion dollars to increase security on school campuses.
Another change could be coming as soon as next month when the state legislature returns to their normal session.
DeSantis says the legislature will look at changing how death penalty cases are decided by juries.
Right now, the sentencing phase requires unanimous support for the death penalty to be carried out.
DeSantis wants to change that to a supermajority, after the Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, was spared the death penalty.
“That was a bitter pill when that happened,” DeSantis said. “So, all I can say is we're doing something about it.”
