In February 2018 , after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland , Florida , Scott stated his support of raising the minimum age to purchase any firearm from 18 to 21 ; at the time of the shooting , 21 was the minimum age to buy a handgun , but rifles could be purchased at age 18 . Scott announced his support of a ban on bump stocks . Scott also stated , " I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who has mental issues to use a gun , " requesting $ 500 million in funds for mental health and school safety programs . In March 2018 , the Florida Legislature passed a bill titled the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act which incorporated many of the issues Scott supported . It raised the minimum age for buying firearms to 21 , established waiting periods and background checks , provided a program for the arming of some teachers and the hiring of school police , banned bump stocks , and barred potentially violent or mentally unhealthy people arrested under certain laws from possessing guns . In all , it allocated around $ 400 million . Scott signed the bill into law on March 9 . That same day , the National Rifle Association ( NRA ) filed a lawsuit in federal court , challenging the law 's provision banning gun sales to people under 21 . An NRA spokesman said , " We filed a lawsuit against the state for violating the constitutional rights of 18 - to 21-year-olds . " Scott 's handling of Hurricane Irma boosted his profile in advance of his U.S. Senate campaign , with '' The Hill '' writing that his " aggressive approach to Irma , which saw him order an extensive evacuation ahead of the storm and coordinate disaster relief efforts as the storm came ashore , has sent his political stock even higher " and that Scott 's " preparedness has impressed Republicans and some Democrats . " An investigation by WFOR-TV found that after Hurricane Irma , Scott ignored existing debris removal contracts and instead issued emergency contracts for hurricane clean-up efforts . Florida state officials sent an email to several companies on September 11 inviting them to hand in bids for debris clean-up by the next day . On September 13 , state officials decided to use the services of MCM and Community Asphalt , firms owned by contributors to the Republican Party and Scott 's campaigns . According to the television station , the emergency contracts cost $ 28 to $ 30 million more than the existing contracts
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Rick Scott