ARIZONA – A bill being pushed out by Arizona Senate Republicans will allow for the carrying of firearms on college campuses and universities.
Senate Bill 1123 was sponsored by Senator Wendy Rogers based on the fact that guns are already on college campuses, but they’re only being carried and used by criminals. Such is the case with gun restrictions: only law abiding citizens follow the rules, while criminals continue to carry when and where they choose.
“I am a believer that guns save lives,” Rogers said, “and if a student has a concealed weapons permit then he or she should be able to carry on campus and thus make the campus safer.”
Conversely, Democratic Senator Martin Quezada said, “Policies that force colleges to allow guns on campuses are likely to lead to more shootings, to more homicides, to more suicides and to more dangerous situations, not less. We keep promoting this false narrative that guns are the answer to all our problems. And no, its not.”
Quezada did not provide data to back up his guess that guns would “likely” lead to more shootings.
Michael Thompson, the chief of police of Arizona State University, also testified that he believes the bill would not prove to prevent shootings. “I’m here to tell you from first-hand experience,” he said, “that university students make very poor decisions on a daily basis, sometimes hourly basis. Adding guns to an already high-risk environment of alcohol, drugs, overreaction, lack of life experience and immaturity is a very dangerous combination.”
Continue Reading: https://www.redvoicemedia.com/2022/01/legislation-allowing-guns-on-college-campuses-pushed-forward-by-arizona-republicans/
(Armed American News) Beth Baumann: Campus carry is personal for women like me
“Having the ability to lawfully carry a firearm is about more than just stopping mass shootings. It’s about self-defense and self-preservation. There are many, many times I wish my peers and I were given the opportunity to carry on campus. I wasn’t old enough to obtain a CCW, which wouldn’t have changed my ability to defend myself during my assault. But if this bill was law while I was in college, maybe a friend or neighbor would have heard my screams and pleas. Maybe someone could have helped prevent my attack.”
Read Op-Ed: https://armedamericannews.org/baumann-campus-carry-is-personal-for-women-like-me/
(The College Post) Arizona GOP Greenlights Bill Allowing Guns on Campus
“Republican Senator Wendy Rogers sponsored Senate Bill 1123 in an effort to ease restrictions on firearms being brought onto college campuses. Right-leaning politicians voiced concerns about school safety, arguing that guns have already made their way into colleges, but it’s criminals that carry them. ‘I am a believer that guns save lives, and if a student has a concealed weapons permit then he or she should be able to carry on campus and thus make the campus safer,’ Rogers said.
Read Article: https://thecollegepost.com/arizona-republicans-guns-campus/
(The Kingman Miner) Senate Committee Votes to Allow Guns on Campus
“Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, the sponsor of the measure, said his objections and those of lobbyists for the universities and community colleges ignores what she said is current reality of those ignoring existing law. […] Thompson conceded she has ‘a very good point.’ ‘I would be less apt to inflict harm if I knew that other students might be carrying to protect themselves,’ Rogers said.”
Read Article: https://kdminer.com/news/2022/jan/22/senate-committee-votes-allow-guns-campus/