In Arizona, a few women and children lobbied Governor Brewer to veto legislation designed to help keep people safe in the state. John Lott, one of the foremost researchers on the effects of legislation restricting access to defense options, has noted that the vast majority of public mass shootings occur in gun free zones. From a nationalreview.com interview:
Lott offers a final damning statistic: “With just one single exception, the attack on congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson in 2011, every public shooting since at least 1950 in the U.S. in which more than three people have been killed has taken place where citizens are not allowed to carry guns.”The law in Arizona is designed to insure that if law abiding people are disarmed in a particular location, then there must be a reasonable attempt to insure that criminals are also screened for carrying weapons. Public buildings would not be allowed to ban licensed people from carrying arms unless security measures such as metal detectors and armed guards are in place. The Kansas legislature passed a nearly identical bill into law in 2013. A similar bill passed the legislature last year, but was vetoed by Governor Brewer. Some speculated that it was vetoed under pressure from Arizona educators. This year the legislation exempts universities and colleges from the requirements.
The bill, HB2339 passed 34 to 22 in the House and 16 to 12 in the Senate. Governor Brewer has until the end of today, 22 April, 2014, to either sign the bill, veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature.
I watched the news event on video from azcentral.com. I counted six children and six adults, though the video was not designed to give a count. One of the women had lost a child in a drive by shooting several years ago. I am not sure what that has to do with the current bill. Concealed carry permit holders are more responsible with their weapons than police. But, this lobbying is not rational or logical. It is emotional, by design.
©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
Link to Gun Watch
Posts
2 comments:
Looks like she vetoed them both. Given her past vetoes of similar measures, it was to be expected with the bill to allow guns in public buildings, but I wonder what her rationale was for vetoing the strengthened pre-emption bill.
She has been in local public office. Maybe she felt empathy for local officials.
She has become rather squishy on armed citizens the longer she has been in Phoenix. I suspect that the "moderates" and University types have influenced her.
These bills passed with large, but not veto proof margins.
Post a Comment