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Tucson Lawmaker Wants To Amend Gun Law For Those Suffering From Mental Illness

A state lawmaker wants to amend an existing law to make it easier to keep guns away from people suffering from mental illness.

Tucson House Democrat Randall Friese says his bill would require an immediate family member or peace officer to file a petition in writing for a mental-health injunction. 

"Gun-safety organizations recognize, clearly, mental health plays a part in you know exposing our society to gun violence," Friese says.

Friese says a person can have their gun returned to them if they’re found to be mentally healthy again. This issue came up in the Legislature last year but went nowhere.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.