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 / Updated By Corky Siemaszko 
 
 Florida Gov. Rick Scott broke with President Donald Trump on Friday and rejected calls to arm teachers with guns to prevent school massacres. 
 
 "I disagree with arming teachers," Scott said. "My focus is on bringing in law enforcement. I think you need to have individuals who are trained, well trained." 
 
 Scott also defied the National Rifle Association by unveiling a sweeping plan to boost school security that would bar "violent or mentally ill" people from purchasing weapons, prohibit persons under the age of 21 from buying or owning guns, and outlaw so-called bump stocks that make it possible for semi-automatic weapons to fire faster. 
 
 “I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who has mental issues to use a gun,” Scott said. “I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who is a danger to themselves or others to use a gun.” 
 
 But the Republican governor, who is believed to be eyeing a Senate run, declined to ban the semi-automatic AR-15 type rifle that Nikolas Cruz allegedly used to killed 17 people on Valentine's Day at the high school in Parkland, Florida. 
 
 That was a key demand of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who survived the shooting. 
 
 "Banning specific weapons is not going to fix this," said Scott. 
 
 An NRA member, Scott said he didn't consult the powerful gun lobby about his proposals. But it appears to be a sharp break with the organization that has 300,000 members in Florida, and that Scott has relied on in the past. 
 
 There was no immediate response to Scott's move from the NRA headquarters. But its chief lobbyist in Florida, Marion Hammer, called it "gratuitous gun control." 
 
 "We oppose punishing law-abiding gun owners," Hammer told the Tampa Bay Times. 
 
 Scott also called for spending $450 million to put a law enforcement officer in every school (one for every 1,000 students), hiring mental health professionals whose only job would be counseling students, and upgrading school security with metal detectors, bulletproof glass, reinforced doors and other measures. 
 
 Florida Governor Rick Scott lays out his school safety proposal during a press conference at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida on Feb 23, 2018. Scott proposed banning the sale of firearms to anyone younger than 21 as part of a plan to prevent gun violence. Mark Wallheiser / AP 
 
 The governor's plan calls for a new "see something, say something" hotline, website and mobile app. And to help pay for it, Scott said he is considering abandoning more than $180 million in planned tax cuts and urged lawmakers to temporarily shelve plans for pursue money for hometown projects. 
 
 Scott's announcement came a day after Trump expressed support for arming teachers — an idea that many critics are calling a "colossally stupid idea." 
 
 Also, Scott's move to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill appears to be an about face for the governor, who signed a bill in 2011 that barred doctors from asking patients whether they own a gun, unless the provider "believes that this information is relevant to the patient's medical care or safety, or the safety of others." 
 
 A Florida federal appeals court in February 2017 ruled that some of the provisions were unconstitutional, including the part that prevented health providers from asking whether patients owned guns. 
 
 Trump in February 2017 rolled back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. 
 
 While making his announcement, Scott took a swipe at Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., accusing him of not doing enough to combat gun violence. Nelson quickly swiped back. 
 
 "The governor’s plan doesn’t do one thing to ensure comprehensive criminal background checks or ban assault rifles, like the AR-15," Nelson said in a statement. "His leadership is weak and by recommending raising the age to 21 he is doing the bare minimum. Enough is enough. We need to get these assault rifles off our streets and expand criminal background checks for anyone acquiring a gun.” 
 
 The developments came on the heels of revelations that Scot Peterson, the Broward County sheriff's deputy assigned to protect Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, never went inside the school or tried to stop the accused 19-year-old gunman. 
 
 CORRECTION (Feb. 23, 2018, 1:25 p.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the first name of a Democratic Florida senator. He is Bill Nelson, not Ben. ||||| (CNN) A week after one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced a comprehensive plan to keep students safe in his state, including suggestions to raise the minimum age to buy a gun, keep weapons out of the hands of the mentally ill and ban the sale of bump stocks. 
 
 A former student fatally shot 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14, sparking renewed and heated debate over the middle point between Second Amendment rights and student safety. 
 
 "We must take care of our kids," Scott, a Republican, said at a news conference announcing his three-part plan. 
 
 Kai Koerber, a student at Stoneman Douglas who was there the day of the shooting, called the plan "a step in the right direction." 
 
 "This is not the end of the line, but we thank Governor Scott for hearing our concerns, and taking steps to secure a better future for the sons and daughters of tomorrow," he said. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rick Scott details Florida gun law changes Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rick Scott details Florida gun law changes 03:44 
 
 The governor also called for tougher background checks and waiting periods to buy firearms; requiring mentally ill people who have been involuntarily committed to temporarily surrender weapons; and the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars toward improving security in schools and mental health services. 
 
 "Keeping guns away from dangerous people and people with mental issues is what we need to do," he said. 
 
 "No one with mental issues should have access to guns. It's common sense, and it is in their own best interest -- not to mention the interests of our communities. And much of what I'm proposing involves giving law enforcement the ability to stop people from harming themselves and others, while giving them the tools to keep our schools safe." 
 
 Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, a Democrat who was re-elected in 2016, was pleased with the news. 
 
 "Thank you Gov. Scott and state legislative leaders for proposing a gun and school safety package that incorporates nearly all the ideas (Broward Sheriff's Office) and other sheriffs suggested. This is a strong first step in giving us the proactive ability to keep Florida safer," his office tweeted from its verified account . The targeted high school is in Broward County. 
 
 Other Democrats don't think the proposals would go far enough. 
 
 "We can beef up mental health screenings, raise the age for gun purchases and dream up other stop-gap measures, but the threat to our children and our citizens will continue until we finally take bold action to ban assault weapons designed for the battlefield from easy access in our communities," Florida Senate Democratic Leader Oscar Braynon said, referring to semiautomatic, assault-style rifles like the AR-15 the shooter at Stoneman Douglas used. 
 
 Scott, who noted that he is a member of the National Rife Association, said he's not calling for a ban on all firearms. 
 
 "I know there are some who are advocating a mass takeaway of Second Amendment rights for all Americans. That is not the answer." 
 
 In response to questions about calls for a ban on AR-15-style rifles and other semiautomatic guns, the governor said that "banning specific weapons and punishing law abiding citizens is not going to fix this. What we have to do is we have to really focus on the problem. We've got to take all weapons away from people with mental illness, people who are threatening themselves or threatening others." 
 
 Part 1: Keep guns away from dangerous people 
 
 Scott said the plan will address strengthening gun laws to keep "guns away from dangerous and violent people." 
 
 -- Part of that includes creating a "Violent Threat Restraining Order," which permits a court "to prohibit a violent or mentally ill person from purchasing or possessing a firearm when either a family member, community welfare expert or law enforcement officer" presents evidence to the court of a threat of firearms violence. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Student's warning to Gov. Scott at the polls Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Student's warning to Gov. Scott at the polls 01:26 
 
 -- It calls for strengthening "gun purchase and possession restrictions for mentally ill individuals under the Baker Act. If a court involuntarily commits someone for treatment under the Baker Act because they are at risk of harming themselves or others, an individual would be required to surrender all firearms and not regain their right to purchase or possess a firearm until a court hearing." 
 
 -- People who "are subject to an injunction for protection against stalking, cyberstalking, dating violence, repeat violence, sexual violence, or domestic violence" would be prohibited from possessing or buying a firearm. 
 
 -- Enhanced criminal penalties should be created for threats to schools, including "social media threats of shootings or bombings." It also calls for enhanching "penalties if any person possesses or purchases a gun after they have been deemed by state law to not have access to a gun." 
 
 -- Exceptions on the age for firearms purchasing include active duty and reserve military and spouses, National Guard members, and law enforcement. 
 
 Scott said he disagrees with the notion of arming educators, saying teachers should teach and police should police. 
 
 "My focus is on bringing in law enforcement. I think you need to have individuals that are trained, well-trained. My focus is let law enforcement do the keeping us safe and let teachers focus on teaching." 
 
 Part 2: Keeping students safe 
 
 Scott proposed a $450 million initiative for student safety, calling for the presence of a resource officer in every public school and giving sheriffs' departments the power "to train additional school personnel or reserve law enforcement officers" if local school boards ask. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Florida high school to reopen after massacre Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Florida high school to reopen after massacre 01:36 
 
 The plan requires "mandatory active shooter training" and says faculty and students must be involved in "active shooter drills." It calls for an increase in funding for safe school infrastructure, such as metal detectors, steel doors and upgraded locks. 
 
 Scott called for an anonymous K-12 "See Something, Say Something" hotline, website and mobile app, funding "to require access to dedicated mental health counselors to provide direct counseling services," the creation of "threat assessment" teams at each school, and "crisis intervention training for all school personnel." 
 
 Part 3: Expand mental health initiatives 
 
 The plan outlines a $50 million allocation for mental health initiatives, including the expansion of mental health service teams, a Department of Children and Families case manager embedded in every sheriff's department, and matching grants for sheriff's offices to set up special law enforcement teams to work with DCF case managers. 
 
 "There is nothing more important than the safety of our children. Our kids deserve nothing less. Fortunately, our economy is booming, and we have the resources to protect our schools and our students. And, if providing this funding means we won't be able to cut taxes this year -- so be it. And, if we have to give up some of the projects we all hold near and dear -- so be it," the governor said. 
 
 Stoneman Douglas students speak up 
 
 Koerber wasn't pleased with the proposal to give sheriffs' departments the authority to train "additional school personnel" if local school boards request it: 
 
 "Gov. Scott's Action Plan proposes the arming of teachers, if that is the wish of the district. In no way do I, or any of my friends, feel that the arming of teachers is a solution to the issue of gun violence in schools. 
 
 "Nonetheless, we are very happy to see the implementation of a gold standard age for the purchase of firearms, as well as the placement of more law enforcement officers based on the population of a school campus." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Survivor: I'm terrified to return to school Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Survivor: I'm terrified to return to school 00:45 
 
 Kyle Kashuv said he is "a bit concerned over the infringement of Second Amendment rights," a reference to the requirement that people be 21 or over to buy firearms. 
 
 "When you are 18 you are legally tried as an adult yet you are not considered mentally fit for a weapon." 
 
 But he favors other aspects on the plan, including the waiting period for background checks, extra school resource officers, mental health funding, the hotline and school building improvements. 
 
 "I think mental health and background checks are necessary," he said, adding that he also understands why the bump stock ban is necessary. 
 
 Isabella Pfeiffer seemed surprised to hear the governor's proposal. She left a meeting with Scott on Wednesday feeling a bit defeated. She said she didn't think he was actually listening to the students. 
 
 But she is a fan of most of the ideas presented Friday. 
 
 "We were super happy to see they were considering raising the age to 21 to own a rifle, I think that was one of the points we advocated for the most," she said. ||||| Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) defied his longtime allies at the National Rifle Association on Friday to sign into law a new set of gun regulations, more than three weeks after a school shooting claimed 17 lives in his state. 
 
 “I am going to do what I think are common-sense solutions,” Scott said after the signing. “I think this is the beginning. There is now going to be a real conversation about how we make our schools safe.” 
 
 The law, passed by Republican legislative leaders and a number of Democrats, marks a major shift for a state known as a laboratory for gun rights legislation, including legal protections for people who use guns in self-defense and an expansive concealed-carry law. 
 
 It comes as federal efforts to address the Feb. 14 slayings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have sputtered, despite calls from President Trump for bipartisan action. The Senate has no bill scheduled for debate, and the only measure moving in the House of Representatives is a bill to increase shooting response training for students and teachers. 
 
 Scott, who is moving toward a Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, was critical of the inaction in Washington. “If you look at the federal government, nothing seems to have happened there,” he said. “You go elect people, you expect them to represent you, get things done.” 
 
 The new Florida law imposes a three-day waiting period for most purchases of long guns, raises the minimum age for buying those weapons to 21 and bans the possession of bump stocks, devices that can make semiautomatic weapons fire like fully automatic firearms. It does not address the demand of many Stoneman Douglas students for a ban on assault weapons. 
 
 The bill does make it easier for law enforcement and judges to remove guns from people considered a danger to themselves or others, and it establishes a program to arm some school personnel, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending on school security and mental health treatment. 
 
 Before signing the bill, the governor restated his opposition to portions of it, including the waiting period and any effort to arm teachers. 
 
 Marion Hammer, the NRA’s Florida lobbyist, has denounced the bill as an unconstitutional infringement on the Second Amendment and said it passed the state House in “a display of bullying and coercion.” She called those Republicans who opposed the bill “courageous patriots.” She objected to the new waiting period, age limits and the bump stock ban. 
 
 Shortly after Scott signed the law, the NRA filed suit in federal court to block raising the minimum age for purchasing long guns, arguing that the change violates the constitutional rights of 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds. 
 
 [Florida legislature backs new gun restrictions after Parkland school shooting] 
 
 “I have not spoken to anybody in the NRA since this happened,” said Scott, who previously received an A-plus rating from the powerful group. 
 
 Opponents of the new law have threatened to punish the governor if he moves forward with a Senate campaign. “By signing this bill, Gov. Scott has demonstrated that the support of gun owners is not important to him,” said Eric Friday, the general counsel of Florida Carry, a gun rights group. “I expect it to play a large role in his Senate race.” 
 
 After Scott came out against arming teachers in schools, state Republican leaders amended the bill to exclude school employees who work exclusively as classroom teachers from being part of the “school marshal” program. 
 
 The program is voluntary for school districts, and any school employees who carry a weapon will have to undergo 132 hours of law enforcement training with the county sheriff’s office, pass a background check and take additional diversity training. 
 
 Until the Parkland shooting, Scott was championed by the NRA as a defender of gun rights. He supported state laws that prohibited local governments from regulating firearms, barred doctors from asking their patients about gun ownership and allowed children to play with simulated guns in school. 
 
 As recently as 2017, Scott promoted himself as a gun rights purist and boasted of Florida as a haven for gun owners. “We love tourists, new residents and the Second Amendment,” he said at the NRA annual meeting in Atlanta in April. “What does ‘shall not infringe on the people’s right to bear arms’ mean? It means ‘shall not infringe.’ It’s not really very complicated.” 
 
 Those positions are no longer widely held in Florida, after three mass shootings took 72 lives over the past two years — at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, the international airport in Fort Lauderdale and Stoneman Douglas. 
 
 A Quinnipiac poll taken more than a week after the latest shooting found that 78 percent of Florida residents supported raising the age for all gun purchases to 21, 87 percent supported a mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases, and 56 percent supported allowing teachers and school officials to carry guns on school grounds. 
 
 Nelson, who is preparing to face Scott in November, has signaled that he will make guns an issue. 
 
 “This is a first step, and if we really want to do something to combat gun violence, like what we saw in Parkland, we must require universal background checks on the purchase of a gun and get these assault rifles off our streets,” Nelson said in a statement after the bill became law. 
 
 [Florida Gov. Rick Scott to put in face time with GOP donors ahead of possible Senate run] 
 
 Giffords, a gun regulation group founded by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), has been running an ad in Florida, in advance of Scott’s campaign launch, that accuses the governor of “putting the gun lobby ahead of our safety.” 
 
 Democrats were quick to attack Scott minutes after the signing ceremony, arguing that he had come late to the issue of gun regulation for political reasons. “Today was no different from any other day of Rick Scott’s political career,” David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said in a statement. “He was looking out for himself, not doing what’s best for Floridians.” 
 
 Read more at PowerPost ||||| An armed sheriff's deputy assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School stayed outside as the gunman rampaged through the school. The deputy, Scot Petersen, resigned. The Broward County Sheriff's office has faced backlash over what critics call an inadequate response to the shooting. 
 
 The president previously called Petersen a "coward." 
 
 Since the massacre, Trump has pushed for various actions to prevent future school shootings. On Monday, he said the United States needs to "have action" on policies related to gun control and school safety. 
 
 The president has called for improving background checks, raising the age to buy assault-style rifles to 21 and banning "bump stocks" that allow semi-automatic rifles to fire like automatic weapons. He has also repeatedly made a case to arm "gun adept" teachers at schools — a proposal rebutted by Florida top two Republicans — Gov. Rick Scott and Sen. Marco Rubio. 
 
 Last week, Trump said the National Rifle Association and Republicans in Congress are ready to support action to at least moderately restrict access to guns. However, many House conservatives may balk at Trump's proposal to raise the buying age for rifles. 
 
 On Monday, Trump told governors not to "worry" about running afoul of the NRA, saying "they're on our side." In the process, he appeared to give some weight to a Democratic talking point — that the GOP is afraid of the interest group. 
 
 "You guys — half of you are so afraid of the NRA. There's nothing to be afraid of. And you know what if they're not with you, we have to fight them every once in a while. That's OK," he said. 
 
 While the House passed a bill aiming to fix problems with the background check system, it also passed a policy that would allow people with concealed carry permits in one state to use them nationwide. Senate Democrats are unlikely to sign on to that policy as part of legislation improving background checks. 
 
 Trump told governors that Republicans are working to "strengthen" background check legislation introduced last year by Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas. ||||| A student walks past the media at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. Students returned to class for the first time since a former student opened fire there... (Associated Press) 
 
 PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on the return of students and teachers to classes following the killings of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School(all times local): 
 
 9:20 a.m. 
 
 Students are returning to the Florida high school where 17 were killed in a shooting two weeks ago, but they've been told to leave their backpacks at home. 
 
 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School principal Ty Thomas said in a tweet that "our focus is on emotional readiness and comfort not curriculum: so there is no need for backpacks." 
 
 About 50 armed officers were on hand as students returned to the school Wednesday morning. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:30 a.m. 
 
 Dick's Sporting Goods will immediately end sales of assault-style rifles in its stores and won't sell guns to anyone under 21 years old following the school massacre in Parkland, Florida. 
 
 Dick's Chairman and CEO Edward Stack said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that after the shooting the company "felt it needed to do something." 
 
 Stack says that the accused gunman, 19-year-old Nickolas Cruz, had purchased a gun at a Dick's store, but not the one used at the school shooting, even though all existing rules were followed. Stack says the system that's in place won't stop sales to dangerous people and said lawmakers must do something. 
 
 Stack said Dick's is prepared for any potential backlash, but won't change its policies on gun sales. 
 
 ____ 
 
 7:40 a.m. 
 
 One of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students who has become a leader in the anti-assault weapon campaign says he felt scared when he saw a photo of a police officer armed with a rifle outside his school. 
 
 David Hogg said it was a picture of education in fear in this country. Hogg has been calling for an assault weapon ban since the Valentine's Day massacre killed 17 people at his school. 
 
 Hogg has spent the last two weeks making the rounds on network talk shows and speaking with legislators in Tallahassee, seeking gun legislation. 
 
 Students returned to the school Wednesday for the first time since the deadly shooting. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:15 a.m. 
 
 Members of the Broward County Police Benevolent Association handed carnations out to students as they entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks after a former student gunned down 17 people inside the freshman building. 
 
 For Madison Geller, Wednesday offered an opportunity to get back into a routine, in spite of her fears. 
 
 "When I walk in there, I'm going to replay the whole thing in my head. But we have to come here and try to learn," the high school junior said. "This week we will try to be comfortable and get back into the same routine." 
 
 Angelyse Perez, a senior, said returning offers a chance for everyone to "get through this and be together." 
 
 "But I'm graduating," she said. "I just want to get out of here." 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:30 a.m. 
 
 Teachers and students are arriving early at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, their first day back after an expelled classmate with an AR-15 killed 17 people in a Valentine's Day massacre that has profoundly altered the lives of survivors. 
 
 A long line of cars bringing people back to the school in Parkland, Florida is being guided by police as dozens of television trucks and vehicles camp out nearby. 
 
 Only students, parents and staff are being allowed through a security cordon. The main entrance is covered with a sign saying "Welcome Back Eagles." 
 
 ___ 
 
 2 a.m. 
 
 The walkway leading onto the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is lined with flowers and photographs, memorials to the 17 students and teachers killed in a Valentine's Day massacre that forever altered their lives and thrust them into the center of the nation's gun debate. 
 
 Alexis Grogan, a 15-year-old sophomore, was among those planning to wear maroon, a Stoneman Douglas color, among other things honoring those who died. She said she's nervous after losing her friend Luke Hoyer, who sat two seats behind her in Spanish. Still, she says support from her fellow students and their fight to strengthen gun control laws is keeping her strong. 
 
 Relatives of the victims kept up pressure Tuesday in Florida's capital with emotional testimony during a legislative hearing to discuss raising the age limit to buy long guns from 18 to 21. 
 
 The bill also would create a program that allows teachers who receive law-enforcement training and are deputized by the local sheriff's office to carry concealed weapons in the classroom, if also approved by the school district. The school's superintendent has spoken out firmly against that measure.
– Just over a week after the murder of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida Gov. Rick Scott unveiled a plan Friday to keep his state's students safer: a $500 million proposal to ban bump stocks, restrict people under age 21 from purchasing guns, and prohibit the "violent or mentally ill" from buying weapons, NBC News reports. "I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who is a danger to themselves or others to use a gun," Scott said, per the New York Times. The age restriction would mark Scott's first big rebuff of NRA policy, per the Washington Post. "I'm an NRA member (and) a supporter of the Second Amendment," Scott said. "I'm also a father and a grandfather and a governor. We all have a difficult task in front of us balancing our individual rights with our obvious need for public safety." Among the initiatives included in Scott's plan are revamping building security to include metal detectors, better locks, and bulletproof glass; placing a "law enforcement officer in every public school"; and working more on "mental health initiatives." What Scott isn't pushing for: banning the AR-15 rifle, which was the type of weapon used in the shooting, and arming teachers, as President Trump and others have called for (to much criticism) in recent days. "Banning specific weapons … is not going to fix this," Scott said. He also said he'd rather see "well-trained" members of law enforcement brought in to protect schools than hand weapons to educators. "We must take care of our kids," he said, per CNN. On Wednesday, the NRA said it will fight any attempt to raise age limits, saying that move would "[punish] law-abiding citizens for the evil acts of criminals."