AZ: Governor Brewer Bucks Trend; Vetoes Third Gun Reform This Week

Governor Brewer has been considered a friend of second amendment supporters.   When she was under threat of reelection, she signed constitutional carry into law.  Under her watch, Arizona has taken the lead as the most advanced state in the union when scored on restoring second amendment rights.

Other states are striving to catch up.  Kansas passed a bill to make sure that public buildings would only ban people carrying guns if they effectively did so for legally armed citizens and criminals alike.  Indiana passed a law ending their "roaming school zones", where legally armed citizens could be turned into felons by the movement of school children.   Wisconsin allowed their citizens to buy long guns in other states, and passed a strong range protection bill.   Michigan did away with their absurd ban on short barreled rifles.   Idaho passed a mild "guns on campus" reform and a ban on assisting federal gun confiscations.  Utah passed a measure declaring that open carry of guns is not disorderly conduct.

Just this week, Georgia Governor Deal signed into law a long list of long awaited gun law reforms.   Kansas Governor Brownback signed a package at least as significant, if not even more far reaching.     And Governor Brewer vetoed the third of six self defense reforms that have come to her desk in the last week.

Governor Brewer vetoed a bill nearly the same as Kansas passed last year, to insure that citizens are not disarmed in public buildings, while those who ignore the law can walk in without effective hindrance.  She vetoed a bill to put teeth in the states preemption statute, such as Florida found necessary.   And yesterday, she vetoed a bill that made it clear that if someone was violently attempting to disarm you, you could treat them as a deadly threat.

The bill, HB 2338, would have given the same protections to legally armed citizens who are not police officers as it does to police officers, by making illegal attempts to disarm them an aggravated assault.

From the current list of actions that constitute aggravated assault:

9.  If the person knowingly takes or attempts to exercise control over any of the following:

(a)  A peace officer's or other officer's firearm and the person knows or has reason to know that the victim is a peace officer or other officer employed by one of the agencies listed in paragraph 10, subdivision (a), item (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) or (v) of this subsection and is engaged in the execution of any official duties.

 From the proposed bill, HB 2338:

(d) A person's firearm, with the intent to cause harm with that firearm, that is lawfully possessed by the person in accordance with federal and state law. This subdivision does not apply to a peace officer who takes or attempts to exercise control over a person's firearm while the officer is engaged in the execution of any official duties or to a person who is justified in using physical force or deadly physical force pursuant to chapter 4 of this title.

 Governor Brewer is not running for reelection as Governor.

One more gun law reform is waiting for her signature.   It is a simple reform that changes Arizona law from having two different definitions of what a firearm is, to one consistent definition that excludes air guns.  If Governor Brewer signs it, she will have signed three of the six that have come to her desk. this year.

 ©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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