On Wednesday, the Arizona House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would make it legal for any parent to carry a firearm on their child’s school campus if they have a state-issued concealed weapons permit.
Bill sponsor Sen. Janae Shamp (R-Surprise) said it’s not about encouraging them to bring guns, but rather protecting those who forget they’re carrying one.
"You happen to have a concealed-carry weapon in your purse because you are a mother who protects her children with her Second Amendment rights, you forget that you have that in your purse, you are now, possibly, looking at anywhere from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony," Shamp said.
Rep. Keith Seaman (D-Casa Grande), on the other hand, is more worried about a scenario where a parent brings a gun to a parent-teacher conference.
"I think rather than having a pleasant parent conference with a student, especially one who's not doing so well, knowing that that parent has a gun on his person would be rather intimidating," Seaman said.
The measure was already approved on a party-line vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. A final roll-call vote in the House will send it to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs.
