Arizona lawmakers OK letting some parents bring guns to schools

PHOENIX — Republican lawmakers sent two measures dealing with guns and students to Gov. Katie Hobbs on Tuesday, likely courting one veto, if not two.

The GOP-led House voted along party lines to allow parents with state-issued permits to carry concealed weapons to bring guns to a school campus where they have children enrolled. SB1331 already had been approved by the Senate.

Separately, the Republican-led Senate approved HB2332, which would require public and charter schools to provide students in grades 6 through 12 with “age appropriate’’ training in firearms safety.

That legislation does not involve any actual instruction on how to operate weapons or on hunting education. Instead, it is being promoted as teaching “simple, easy-to-remember steps so individuals who receive the training know what to do if they ever come across a firearm.’’

It already was approved by the House.

Senate supporters of the latter measure, sponsored by Rep. Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, said education is the best way to cut down on accidental shootings by children who stumble across firearms.

“When we’re talking about gun safety, the best way to maintain a safe environment with a firearm is for education to be provided,’’ said Sen. Janae Shamp, R-Surprise. “There are no stories of guns going off by themselves. They go off because they have been touched by a human hand.’’

Republican Sen. John Kavanagh of Fountain Hills criticized opponents of the measure for implying it involves hands-on training with guns, which it does not.

“It’s safety training. It’s a prevention program,’’ Kavanagh said. “This is about training kids what to do when they stumble upon a firearm which may be loaded, so they don’t pick it up, so they don’t discharge it accidentally.’’

Sen. Christine Marsh, D-Phoenix, called the legislation “yet another unfunded mandate that takes time that could be invested in academics.’’

Lawmakers would do better to focus on preventing gun violence rather than on “culture wars’’ issues, said Anna Hernandez, D-Phoenix.

“Every week we see a new shooting either in a school or in a public place,’’ she said. “And yet time after time, we have the opportunity to introduce legislation that will actually keep our children safe, like red flag laws or safe storage laws or universal background checks. I feel that if we’re serious about keeping our kids safe in schools, we should be looking at those measures of legislation and not worry about what books are going to be banned in schools or drag story hour.’’

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It is the proposal to allow guns onto school campuses — something now prohibited under state law — that has proven more controversial. Given the record of Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who already racked up 43 vetoes this session, it could meet the same fate.

Current law requires anyone coming onto a campus, including into a parking lot, to first unload any weapons.

Shamp said that makes felons of parents who forget they had a weapon on them. She said having to unload and reload a gun actually is more dangerous, as that is when accidents occur.

But Rep. Keith Seaman, R-Casa Grande, said all his experience as an educator convinces him the legislation is a bad idea.

“I find this bill totally unacceptable and dangerous,’’ he told colleagues.

Seaman said his job was to keep everyone on campus safe.

“In today’s educational atmosphere, with accusations of fake ‘woke’ items being taught — which is not being done, by the way — I could not be certain that some parent would (not) brandish that weapon and threaten a teacher,’’ he said.

“As a principal, I need to know who is carrying a weapon. As an educator, I know that guns do not belong in school under any circumstances. There are too many chances for misfirings or angry shots,” Seaman continued.

But Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, said his vote in support of the measure came down to a simple four words: “shall not be infringed”, quoting from the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

There is a federal law that requires school campuses to be gun-free zones. But that law has a number of exceptions, including for people licensed by the state. And supporters say the concealed weapon permit fits that definition.

Hobbs already vetoed several gun-related measures, including one that would have stripped the ability of communities to regulate gun shows and another that would have denied public contracts to banks that refuse to do business with gun dealers and manufacturers.