Armed paramedics would be able to accompany law-enforcement officers during “high-risk” operations, under a proposal that started moving forward Monday in the Senate. The measure (SB 722) cleared the Judiciary Committee, which in recent years had been a roadblock for numerous proposals to expand gun rights.
The proposal by Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, would allow paramedics and other medical professionals, which he called “SWAT medics,” to be armed while accompanying law enforcement in “hostage incidents, narcotics raids, hazardous surveillance, sniper incidents, armed suicidal persons, barricaded suspects, high risk felony warrant service, fugitives refusing to surrender, and active shooter incidents.
