GUNS IN PUBLIC BUILDINGS BILL CLEARS HOUSE

PHOENIX, March 13 – The House yesterday approved the latest iteration of the guns in public buildings bill, H2320 (firearms; permit holders; public places), on a 33-25 vote. Much of the discussion about the bill was about the costs of security personnel, metal detectors and gun lockers for public buildings that would want to continue to ban concealed weapons under the law, but Barton said the law is not an unfunded mandate: It wouldn’t cost public buildings a penny if they just choose not to ban guns. “The highly expensive metal detector units are not necessarily required, unless of course you choose to take away the self-defense rights of [people] trying to enter the building,” she said. E Farnsworth said the Second Amendment preserves Americans’ “God-given” right to defend themselves. “If I have a God-given right to defend myself and if the Second Amendment recognizes and defends that right against government, then if government wants to take away my ability to defend myself, they have an obligation to defend me,” he said.