Arizona senators passed a comprehensive school and public safety plan Tuesday, after removing one of its key provisions.
The vote fell along party lines in the Republican controlled chamber to pass Senate Bill 1519, but only after striking the line allowing family, school administrators, and others close to an emotional unstable person to seek a "Severe Threat Orders of Protection" or STOP order.
"Under current law, you as a private citizen, if you find somebody that's mentally ill or mentally incapacitated and [who] is going to be an imminent threat to somebody or themselves, you can petition ... the court for that person to get treatment," said Republican Sen. Steve Smith.
Sen. David Bradley, who is also a mental health counselor, tried to convince his colleagues why it's important to keep the STOP provision in the bill.
"The fact is that the bill is trying to be preventative," Bradley said. "The family in particular is the first line of defense in that prevention. And making it easier for them to intervene saves lives."
Other provisions stripped from the bill include making it a felony to leave an unsupervised gun around children, denying concealed weapons permits to anyone with arrest warrants, a ban on bump-stocks, and mandatory background checks for all guns whether they are privately or commercially sold.
The bill now goes to the House chamber for a vote.
