FUTURE UNCERTAIN FOR GUN BILLS

PHOENIX, March 20 – After lawmakers pulled two gun bills from the Senate gov calendar on Wednesday following the shooting spree in Mesa that left one dead and six injured, the fate of the bills is in doubt. It will take some finagling by the Legislature to get H2320 (firearms; permit holders; public places) and H2431 (uniform firearms transfer compact) out of the Senate now that the deadline to hear bills in committees other than appropriations committee has passed. Senate President, Senator Andy Biggs, has historically been reluctant to ignore committee deadlines and to withdraw bills from their assigned committees, but could still reassign them to appropriations and take them out of the government committee. Lawmakers could also resurrect the legislation as striker amendments in either appro committee, or as a germane amendment on the floor. But some observers speculated that the shooting gives lawmakers an out for the year, and they may not make a push to send the bills to Gov. Ducey, who sources speculate doesn’t want to deal with them anyway. Lobbyist Barry Aarons said that, with the shooting making the national news, he wouldn’t be surprised if lawmakers just let sleeping dogs lie for the year and take the issue up at a later time. Former Senator Frank Antenori speculated that Ducey’s Chief of Staff Kirk Adams is “doing everything in his power to ensure the bills never reach the Ninth Floor” because it will put the governor in a difficult position of having to sign or veto them, either of which would be damaging politically. But Antenori said if the bills – specifically H2320 – do make it to Ducey’s desk, he’ll have no choice but to sign them. “He wants to run for president someday,” Antenori said, noting that vetoing an NRA-backed bill would be damaging. But Antenori acknowledged that signing the guns in public buildings bill could be just as damaging in a general election outside of Arizona.