At the Legislature:
The National Rifle Association endorses Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan to prevent school shootings as it clears a key committee vote.
The National Rifle Association, the country’s most powerful gun-rights lobbying organization, has endorsed Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan to prevent mass shootings in schools.
Republican lawmakers in the Arizona Senate announced the NRA’s support Thursday during a committee hearing, where Ducey’s proposal cleared a crucial first vote.
Sen. Steve Smith, R-Maricopa, said legislation outlining the governor’s plan, Senate Bill 1519, respects Second Amendment rights while taking steps to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals.
“Arizona is listed by many as the No. 1 Second Amendment state in the country. I want to keep it that way,” said Smith, who’s sponsoring the bill. “However, there are sensible things we can do, that we’re not doing today, to just protect the people and protect our schools.”
Democrats and gun-control advocates, however, said the NRA’s blessing underscores their concern that Ducey’s proposal is meaningless because it doesn’t include universal background checks.
SB 1519 does not address the “gun show loophole” that allows people to buy a gun without background checks in some circumstances.
Ducey has found himself in the center of a polarizing debate over gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 people on Valentine’s Day.
He has faced blistering criticism from both parties: Democrats, who say it doesn’t go far enough; and Republican lawmakers, who worry it could violate constitutional liberties.
SB 1519 calls for about 100 more police officers in schools; a new type of restraining order to keep guns out of unstable people’s hands; more mental health counseling in schools; and a school safety tip hotline.
While Democrats remain staunchly opposed, the NRA’s support and bill amendments appear to have assuaged some conservative lawmakers.
On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Public Safety voted 4-3 to advance the bill, strictly along partisan lines with Republicans in support. The bill now faces a constitutional review in another committee.
GOP lawmakers echoed the NRA in saying that amendments to the restraining-order piece of the bill improved it to ensure due process for the accused. Under the new language, anyone subject to such an order would receive a court hearing before they are forced to undergo a mental-health screening and surrender their guns.
SB 1519 requires a county superior court judge to determine there is “clear and convincing evidence” to prove they pose an imminent threat to themselves or others.