Latest Floridians who can tote firearms: paramedics in high-risk situations

A new law allowing Florida paramedics to carry firearms when responding to high-risk situations has gone into effect.

First reported by the CNN Wire Service in conjunction with WITI, the law permits Florida paramedics to carry firearms in a variety of situations, including active-shooter incidents and narcotics raids as of July 1. It also states that paramedics are “justified in the use of any force which he or she reasonably believes is necessary to defend himself or herself or another from bodily harm.”

The law isn’t without safety measures. Those carrying firearms will be selected by a law enforcement agency and must undergo proper firearms safety and tactical training with their employer, the bill says. Carrying a firearm will also be permissible only when responding to situations with the agencies that employ them.

Signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 7, the law tracks another recently signed bill allowing teachers to carry firearms in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting.

“They are there with every drug that can keep you alive if they survive,” Florida Sen. Ed Hooper said to WLNY-TV of the bill, “without having anything to defend themselves.”

Florida joins Kentucky and Ohio as the only states that legally permit paramedics to carry a firearm.

This story was originally published July 1, 2019 at 6:29 PM.