Gun Laws

AZ Lawmakers: Let's Arm Campuses!

Prompts debate after deadly Tucson shooting.

Well, this is one response to a shooting rampage. Arizona is one of about a dozen states considering solving the problem of school campus shootings by arming their academies. Arizona currently has three bills in the works that would allow professors and others over the age of 21 on state campuses to carry weapons. A fierce debate has arisen over the proposed bills. Administrators and campus police chiefs at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona are all against allowing guns on campus. Supporters say that bringing weapons onto campuses will ensure safety. "Guns save lives, and it's a constitutional right of our citizens,' said State Senate president Russell Pearce. In reference to the Tucson shooting, the former sheriff's deputy continued, "If somebody had been there prepared to take action, they could have saved lives." Still others, including a student who witnessed a 2008 campus shooting, are against fighting violence with more violence.