Common sense would dictate that after the tragedy in Tucson, Arizona would reevaluate its approach to gun laws. Perhaps the state would institute more thorough background checks — or at least require them — or ban the sale of extended magazines, which alleged assassin Jared Loughner used.
Unfortunately, neither of these ideas seem to have crossed legislators’ minds. In an article in The Huffington Post, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg showed just how easy it was to obtain a Glock 19 with an extended magazine at an Arizona gun show.
Bloomberg sent undercover investigators to a gun show in Phoenix to see just how lax our state’s gun laws are. The results are nothing short of stunning. The investigators were able to buy both the gun and the extended magazine with no background check.
The gun is similar to the one that Loughner used on Jan. 8 when he killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
It has been made clear by the Supreme Court that gun ownership is a right. Last year, the Court struck down Chicago’s 28-year-old ban on owning handguns. In 2008, the Supreme Court struck down a similar law that existed in Washington, D.C.
So we aren’t suggesting that the state Legislature ban guns — and let’s face it, would a conservative majority actually do that? Rather we are asking that our state be more responsible about firearms.
Instituting thorough background checks would be a solid beginning. Through background checks, potential owners of guns who have a criminal record or have a history of substance abuse wouldn’t be able to buy a firearm.
Such an important right needs to come with responsibilities, especially since guns have the potential to take lives. The ability to buy firearms without a background check is nothing short of chilling.
Restriction of firearms in Arizona seems to be a moot point, though. In 2009, the state Legislature passed a law that allows citizens with a concealed weapons permit to carry a gun in a bar. That’s right — the bartender could be packin’. Maybe it’s the guy on the stool next to you.
And now Arizona legislators are bringing up several bills that would allow firearms on college campuses. One bill limits firearm possession on campus to only faculty members, while the other would allow both students and faculty to carry guns.
If Loughner’s actions did not serve as a recent enough reminder of the damage guns can do, perhaps we should look further back. In 2008, Northern Illinois saw five of its students killed and 21 wounded. In 2007, Virginia Tech suffered a tragedy that resulted in the deaths of 32 students before the shooter killed himself.
In 2002, in another episode that hit close to home, a UA nursing student killed three faculty members before he took his own life. These incidents suggest that guns have no place on a college campus and that firearms need to be treated with responsibility.
This type of deregulation is not what Arizona needs right now. With all eyes still on this state, we should finally set a positive example instead of reaching for more headlines.
