Arizona Senate rejects guns in public buildings

The full Arizona Senate rejected a bill today that would allow concealed-carry permit holders to carry guns in many public buildings in the latest failure for the yearly proposal. — 9:45 p.m. Three republicans joined all 13 democrats in opposing the bill, which has been an annual effort at the legislature for at least six years. — 8:49 p.m. Senate Bill 1243 would have required operators of public establishments to allow permit-holders to carry their firearms unless their building was secured with guards and/or metal detectors at their entrances. While this is an existing law, the proposal would have expanded the list of places available for permit holders to carry. This proposal was brought up by John Kavanagh, a republican member of the Arizona state senate. This is his latest attempt to push the legislation, after the bill last year failed to pass. Ron Gissendaner, a senior vice president of Spragues sports shop here in Yuma says, while Arizona is an open carry state, places like outdoor venues may benefit from this proposal. “The intent is more for outside venues, concerts and something like that, where the security is not high,” said Gissendaner. Kavanagh said Monday that no harm can come from allowing people with concealed-carry permits to carry weapons in public buildings, but opponents of this proposal say the legislation could have led to more dangerous situations in public facilities. Either way, gun carriers like Spragues in Yuma have seen a steady turnout of people wanting to get permits and they don’t feel a proposal like this would truly increase or decrease their business sales.