Strong opposition to a bill that would have changed a landmark Arizona law making random or celebratory gunfire a felony, has prompted its sponsor to substantially dial back his proposal.
Republican Rep. Tony Rivero pulled the bill from a scheduled debate Tuesday, saying he now plans to leave in place the current ban on shooting within 1 mile of an occupied structure. His original proposal lowered that to a quarter-mile but that was opposed by police and prosecutor groups.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Kathleen Mayer is satisfied with the compromise.
"The mile was very important to our law enforcement partners and, for public safety interests, important to us," Mayer said. "So we gave up on negligence and got our mile back."
The current law was enacted in 2000 in the wake of the death of 14-year-old Shannon Smith, a Phoenix teen who died when she was hit by a bullet fired into the air. No one was arrested.
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said last month that he knew of no prosecutions for accidental discharges.