Activists in Florida have reacted with anger after a series of gun-control amendments to US law were voted down by lawmakers in the state.
Around half a dozen amendments, including a ban on assault weapons like those allegedly used by Nikolas Cruz in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, were voted down 7-6, reports News 13.
At a crowded Senate hearing, activists were vocal in their opposition to the decision, with chants of 'vote them out', directed at lawmakers echoing around the Senate chamber.
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Senator Lizbeth Benacquisto, who had voted against the amendment to ban assault rifles and was chairing the committee meeting, tried to quieten the crowd and move on to the next proposed amendment.
One Republican senator and five Democrats voted in favour of the amendments, but were outvoted by seven Republican senators.
Proposed changes to the law would ban the sale of firearms to anyone below 21 and require a three-day waiting period for purchases. There is already a similar law in place, but it applies to handguns only.
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Those angered by the amendment's rejection were particularly upset about the bill's marshal programme, which would allow teachers and administrators to carry firearms in school.
President Trump has been a supporter of the move, which has been met with both support and opposition throughout America. Many teachers who would be affected by the move have been critical of the proposed move.
Speaking to the Sun Sentinel, Senator Oscar Braynon, who proposed an amendment to stop the marshal programme, said teachers would now have to be included in the 'talk' African-American fathers often given their children about how to address armed 'authority figures', namely police officers.
"It bothers me to think as a father of two young boys to tell them to not be aggressive to your teacher," he said. "Please don't make it dangerous for children who look like my children to go to school."
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Black men are 13 times more likely than non-hispanic white men to be shot and killed with guns and despite comprising only 14 per cent of the US population, are victims of over half of gun-related homicides.
Teachers who choose to participate in the programme to carry arms in a school would need to go through 132 hours of training following a background check, a psychological exam and a drug screening. A school district superintendent and a county sheriff could prevent them from participating for any reason.
Total gun deaths in the USA rose 14.9 per cent between 2012 and 2016 and the topic of gun ownership remains a divisive issue despite many notable mass-death incidents around the country.
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