Mein Kampf found with gun case at USF and FSU shooter idolized Hitler — there’s time, and a need, for lawmakers to act

Let’s start with the TL;DR, and then move to the disturbing details which explain the effort by six Florida lawmakers to protect Jewish college students — and justify, or even mandate, the kind of action they’re seeking.

Since April, we’ve seen:

— A gun case found alongside a copy of Mein Kampf on USF campus.

— A fatal shooting at FSU, carried out by a student allegedly fascinated by Adolf Hitler.

— Peaceful Jewish marchers in Boulder firebombed by a Pro-Palestinian terrorist

— A young Jewish couple gunned down in D.C. while leaving a Jewish museum

— Jewish students harassed, intimidated, and prevented from accessing buildings on various campuses across the country

While not the most recent event to transpire, the news out of USF is of particular importance: Not just for its contents but for the fact that nearly two months have passed since it happened and only one Florida outlet has reported on it at all.

On June 2, the USF Oracle shared that campus police found a gun case with three empty AK-style magazines left on campus on April 19 alongside the books Mein Kampf, Weapons of Terror, The Corrupted Ones and The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism. They issued a No Trespass Order to the owner of these materials, who admitted the books were his.

The case and books were found just two days after a shooter opened fire at Florida State University, killing two and injuring six others. The alleged shooter, Phoenix Ikner, is said to have had a fascination with Hitler, too.

Whether a failed attempt at a copycat attack, or entirely disconnected from Ikner’s massacre, these events — and the steep, undeniable rise in antisemitism-fueled violence around the country — should be read as a clear call for action.

At least six Florida lawmakers have heard this call, and are responding: Sens. Danny Burgess, Stan McClain, Corey Simon, and Reps. Fentrice Driskell, Chad Johnson and Allison Tant are sponsoring budget projects to make Florida a national leader in responding to these growing threats.

Their proposals would fund security and cultural protections for Jewish students at three of the state’s most prominent universities — the University of Florida, Florida State University, and the University of South Florida — in a data-driven demonstration project that could ultimately be expanded to all other Florida universities, or beyond.

While Florida has invested significantly in security for Jewish K-12 schools and community centers, this initiative marks the first major effort to extend dedicated funding to protect Jewish college students.

If passed, Florida would become the first state to implement a large-scale, data-driven program aimed explicitly at Jewish student safety at the college level.

It’s time for these efforts. And there’s time yet for budget leaders to take this stand.

I hope they do.