(C) Arizona Mirror
This story was originally published by Arizona Mirror and is unaltered.
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Gun safety advocates call for change on anniversary of Giffords shooting [1]
['Gloria Rebecca Gomez', 'More From Author', '- January']
Date: 2024-01
On the anniversary of the 2011 Tucson shooting that killed six and injured thirteen others, including U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, gun safety advocates gathered across the street from the Arizona Capitol, calling for action from lawmakers as they began the 2024 legislative session.
“I stand here today — 13 years to the moment almost — to honor the six people whose lives were taken that day,” said Pam Simon, a gun violence survivor, to a crowd of people waving Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety posters.
Simon was a part of Giffords’ campaign, and a bullet tore through her arm and into her chest on that day. Since then, she’s joined several gun safety advocacy groups with the goal of preventing future shootings via gun control legislation. The key, she told the crowd on Monday, is to be a persistent voice on the radar of lawmakers.
“There are gun laws that can make this a safer community and they are elected to keep us safe,” she said. “We need to let them know that we are here in our red shirts, we’re not going away anytime soon and we demand action!”
Mardi Devolites, the Foothills Lead for Moms Demand Action, told the Arizona Mirror that the organization strongly supports legislation that keeps guns locked away when not in use, like Christian’s Law. That law, first proposed by Democrat lawmakers last year in response to the tragic death of teen Christian Petillo, who was accidentally shot by an unsecured firearm at a friend’s house, would punish gun owners with a $1000 fine if they don’t store their ammunition, weapon or both in a locked container. The firearm could also be fitted with a device that requires a combination or a key before operating.
But Arizona Republicans, who hold a majority and decide which bills get heard, never scheduled Christian’s Law for a vote, and it stagnated in the proposal stage. Devolites said she hasn’t lost hope, however, and she expects it to be reintroduced this year. Arizonans deserve to be protected from gun violence wherever they might be, she added.
Last year broke national records for mass shootings, with 38 of them resulting in at least four fatalities and 10 occurring in a public place.
“We have a right to be safe from gun violence in our schools, in our grocery stores and in our movie theaters,” Devolites said. “We’re going to do everything we can to get them to listen to it. It’s just sensible gun legislation that can save lives.”
Gun violence in schools has been of particular concern for state officials in recent years, as the nation has grappled with a massive surge in school shootings. And the two parties have responded differently to the threat. Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne, a Republican, has ramped up police presence on school campuses, and Republican lawmakers have unsuccessfully proposed instructing teachers and students in firearm safety.
A Democratic effort to shield school blueprints from public records requests that failed to net a hearing last year has been reintroduced this session.
Jean Ajamie, who recently resigned from the Arizona Department of Education’s School Safety & Social Wellness team, said that while increasing the number of police officers in schools appeals to the need to act and present a strong front, it isn’t the complete answer. There needs to be an equivalent increase in support for mental health professionals, like school psychologists, counselors, nurses and social workers to prevent incidents and support struggling students.
And that, she said, requires ensuring that schools have the resources to hire and train enough staff.
“First and foremost, is gun safety measures,” Ajamie said. “Second is fully funding education. It (means) having the highest quality of teachers, staff and administrators. And then its full support for our school based mental health professionals.”
For Tony Drake, who has grandchildren in the public school system, the threat of school shootings is an ever present worry. He showed up to speak out against the lack of movement on gun safety legislation, and said he hopes this year will prove different.
“I want my kids to be safe, and I think it’s reasonable to expect safety for our children,” he said. “We see all the evidence of gun violence and it just happens too frequently. I would like to see common sense gun violence laws passed.”
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[1] Url:
https://www.azmirror.com/blog/gun-safety-advocates-call-for-change-on-anniversary-of-giffords-shooting/
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