Proposed bill OKs guns in schools Proposal would allow permit holders to carry
Individuals with a concealed-weapons permit would be allowed to bring their guns onto school grounds under a measure introduced Friday at the Arizona Legislature.
The proposal, Senate Bill 1214, would exempt concealed-carry permit holders from a state law that bars individuals from knowingly carrying deadly weapons onto school property. If it becomes law, the measure would allow teachers and anyone else with a valid permit to carry their weapon onto the grounds of any public or private K-12 school, college or university in the state.
This would obviously be big news if it passed. It's clear that simple rules to keep all guns out of schools have failed utterly and that the total lack of defense for law-abiding citizens is beginning to get old.
Phoenix Democrat David Lujan and president of the Phoenix Union High School District board, predictably, is "uncomfortable with having weapons on school campuses":
In the context of a school shooting, for example, he said the prospect of additional weapons in the hands of faculty or even students could "exacerbate the situation" when police arrive on scene and are trying to quickly identify the assailant.
In the context of a school shooting, "when police arrive" usually means after all the killing is over.
The comments section is full of loons, but this one is a keeper:
As a gun owner I am a strong supporter of the second amendment and CCW in AZ....BUT...do we truly need to allow parents to bring weapons to school to truly prove "whose dad is tougher"?
Right. I'll believe that guy is a "strong supporter of the second amendment and CCW in AZ" when the streets run red with blood.
John Ray in Australia says
Expect heated debate.
You can say that again.
1 Comments
William McCormick said:
My letter to State Senator Kavanaugh:
Dear Sir-
I am a veteran of the Marine Corps and have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2004. I presently work as a Diplomatic Security Specialist in Baghdad- responsible for conducting the safe escort of State Department diplomats around the city.
I also hold a Concealed Carried Weapon permit with the State of Arizona, and have been accepted to begin attending classes at Arizona State University this Fall.
Given the latest school shootings, I am encouraged to see Bill 1214 proposed before the State Senate. The term "Gun-free zone" does not matter one iota to those who want to murder their classmates. The only difference in a Gun-free zone vice the other parts of Arizona where concealed carry is allowed is that no one was around to stop them.
Sir, if I or any other responsible law-abiding gun owner was attending class in Illinois or Virginia on those fateful days and was allowed to carry, these tragedies could have been averted.
Opponents of this bill say that it is irresponsible to allow 18-25 year old young adults their basic right of self-defense. I have to say that I find this argument absurd. There is a large amount of young adults carrying firearms right here in Baghdad in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy. These servicemen and women's age does not in any way handicap them from being responsible with their firearms.
The counter-argument of course is that the military members are trained in their firearms whilst people attending college are not. This argument is wrong on two counts. 1: Many of the military members here are in a noncombat role and have only had minimum firearms training during Basic Training. 2: The people who hold CCW permits are just like me. They either have had prior experience in the military or have had a long history of responsible gun ownership dating back to when they were children. Before I joined the Marine Corps, while I was still a child, I became very proficient in gun ownership and gun safety because I was interested in not only the hobby of shooting but understood that gun ownership was a necessary right for a free society. Your CCW holders are not yokels, Mr. Senator. The vast majority know how to handle, shoot, and properly use their firearms.
Arizona has a long history of supporting the rights of its law-abiding citizens to bear arms. Because of our shall-issue policy of CCW permits we have enjoyed lower violent crime, as well as the piece of mind that comes with knowing we live in a State that believes in protecting the liberties of its citizens. I ask you and the rest of the Senate to vote Yes on Bill 1214. The CCW holders of this state have proven to be responsible in every other place in this state that isn't "gun-free", we won't stop being responsible on school campuses either.
Thank you for your time,
William McCormick