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Lawmakers move to limit gun-free zones
By Chris Fiscus
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 27, 2003
City and state buildings have them. Schools have them. Large employers have them.
They are gun-free zones, areas where people must not take their weapons, even if they have a concealed weapons permit.
But some lawmakers say the idea is an affront to the Constitution, and they're pushing a bill that would take a swipe at the zones.
House Bill 2320 would make those who establish a gun-free zone liable for damages if someone is forced to check his or her weapon and then a crime occurs, assuming a case can be made that the gun could have helped stop the crime.
If the crime is an act of terrorism or harms kids younger than 16 or adults 70 or older, the entity that prohibited guns would be liable for triple the damages.
Rep. Randy Graf, R-Green Valley, who is sponsoring the bill, doesn't understand why law-abiding citizens, such as those who have been issued a concealed weapons permit, have to stop and hand over their gun when they enter a certain building.
"Why do things change when you cross one doorway?" he asked.
Criminals will ignore the warning stickers and find a way to bring a gun in, he said, leaving inside unarmed people who have the constitutional right to have a gun.
The bill, he acknowledged, would apply to the state Capitol.
While it's a clear constitutional issue for Graf and other supporters, some are strongly opposed to the bill.
"We worked very hard to get the gun-free zones for parks and to have (gun) lockers in our public buildings," said Norris Nordvold, Phoenix's intergovernmental programs director.
"Before, people were getting killed or shot in parks, and we lost two people in our personnel building in the city of Phoenix," he said, referring to the day someone opened fire in that city building.
"The bill implies that everyone should be carrying a weapon so that if you're in the library or so that if you're in the park, you should be able to shoot back," Nordvold said.
He will urge Phoenix officials to oppose the bill.
Not everyone agrees. Rep. Phil Hanson, R-Peoria, is co-sponsoring the bill.
He has a concealed weapons permit and had his background checked, so he wonders why he sees a gun-free sticker at a mall or a sporting event or a hospital and has to store his gun.
"I find it very offensive," he said.
Hanson hopes the bill will persuade some to rethink their weapons bans.
"It's the idea that I want institutions to know they have a liability for taking that stand and keeping weapons out of their establishments," he said.
The question is whether the bill will make it out of the Legislature.
Graf knows this "is one of the bills a lot of people will have a little heartburn with," but he's optimistic.
Graf also has introduced House Bill 2321, which would make carrying a concealed weapon without a permit punishable by a $50 fine, rather than a Class 1 misdemeanor.
For example, Graf argues: Say he has a weapon in plain view. If it starts raining and he puts on a jacket, he asks, "suddenly I become a criminal?"
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0127gunbill27.html
By Chris Fiscus
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 27, 2003
City and state buildings have them. Schools have them. Large employers have them.
They are gun-free zones, areas where people must not take their weapons, even if they have a concealed weapons permit.
But some lawmakers say the idea is an affront to the Constitution, and they're pushing a bill that would take a swipe at the zones.
House Bill 2320 would make those who establish a gun-free zone liable for damages if someone is forced to check his or her weapon and then a crime occurs, assuming a case can be made that the gun could have helped stop the crime.
If the crime is an act of terrorism or harms kids younger than 16 or adults 70 or older, the entity that prohibited guns would be liable for triple the damages.
Rep. Randy Graf, R-Green Valley, who is sponsoring the bill, doesn't understand why law-abiding citizens, such as those who have been issued a concealed weapons permit, have to stop and hand over their gun when they enter a certain building.
"Why do things change when you cross one doorway?" he asked.
Criminals will ignore the warning stickers and find a way to bring a gun in, he said, leaving inside unarmed people who have the constitutional right to have a gun.
The bill, he acknowledged, would apply to the state Capitol.
While it's a clear constitutional issue for Graf and other supporters, some are strongly opposed to the bill.
"We worked very hard to get the gun-free zones for parks and to have (gun) lockers in our public buildings," said Norris Nordvold, Phoenix's intergovernmental programs director.
"Before, people were getting killed or shot in parks, and we lost two people in our personnel building in the city of Phoenix," he said, referring to the day someone opened fire in that city building.
"The bill implies that everyone should be carrying a weapon so that if you're in the library or so that if you're in the park, you should be able to shoot back," Nordvold said.
He will urge Phoenix officials to oppose the bill.
Not everyone agrees. Rep. Phil Hanson, R-Peoria, is co-sponsoring the bill.
He has a concealed weapons permit and had his background checked, so he wonders why he sees a gun-free sticker at a mall or a sporting event or a hospital and has to store his gun.
"I find it very offensive," he said.
Hanson hopes the bill will persuade some to rethink their weapons bans.
"It's the idea that I want institutions to know they have a liability for taking that stand and keeping weapons out of their establishments," he said.
The question is whether the bill will make it out of the Legislature.
Graf knows this "is one of the bills a lot of people will have a little heartburn with," but he's optimistic.
Graf also has introduced House Bill 2321, which would make carrying a concealed weapon without a permit punishable by a $50 fine, rather than a Class 1 misdemeanor.
For example, Graf argues: Say he has a weapon in plain view. If it starts raining and he puts on a jacket, he asks, "suddenly I become a criminal?"
http://www.arizonarepublic.com/arizona/articles/0127gunbill27.html