Fwd: First Firearm Bill - Action Needed

[Sue Strobel]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <mpra...@icloud.com>
Date: Sun, Jan 12, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Subject: First Firearm Bill - Action Needed
To: Meg Pradelt <mpra...@icloud.com>

Even before Opening Day on January 13, the AZ Legislature is moving to hear firearms related bills.  We need to let them know we are paying attention!

The House Education Committee will meet on TUESDAY, January 14 at 2:00 for a bill to arm teachers in K-12 public and private schools. 

HB2022   Rep. Bliss (R-1)  sbl...@azleg.gov

This bill establishes the Save Our Children School Safety Program authorizing the Dept of Education to adopt rules, policies and procedures to enhance school safety through employee training, emergency preparedness and crisis response.  It authorizes schools to adopt policies that certify employees to possess and carry a weapon on school grounds.  Apart from the obvious safety risks to having guns on school grounds, there are other issues:

 * School boards and administrators are generally not qualified to evaluate the criteria for the certification programs and the qualifications of the training instructors

* Unrealistic to expect teachers to perform the roles of law enforcement officers who have a life-safety mindset and the extensive training needed to serve and protect

* Fails to consider the physical and emotional burden of this added responsibility on teachers and school staff

* Very likely to increase insurance costs and/or loss of coverage

TAKE ACTION!

USE RTS and then contact members of the House Education Committee before 1:00 on Tuesday, January 14 to OPPOSE HB2022.  If you are represented by a member of the committee, include your LD when commenting on RTS and identify yourself as a constituent when calling or emailing.  Testify in person if at all possible.

House Education Committee

Chair, Matt Gress                       4          mgr...@azleg.gov                   602 926-4105

Vice Chair, James Taylor          29         jta...@azleg.gov                      602 926-3564

Anna Abeytia                            24         aabe...@azleg.gov                  602 946-3501

Leo Biasiucci                            30         lbias...@azleg.gov                 602 926-3018

Lisa Fink                                   27         lf...@azleg.gov                         602 926-3516

Brian Garcia                                8        bga...@azleg.gov                    602 926-3319

Nancy Gutierrez                        18        nguti...@azleg.gov                602 926-4134

Lydia Hernandez                       24        lhern...@azleg.gov              602 926-3553

David Marshall                             7       dmar...@azleg.gov                 602 926-3579

Justin Olson                              10        jol...@azleg.gov                       602 926-3376

Michele Pena                            23        mp...@azleg.gov                     602 926-3696

TAKE ACTION NO LATER THAN 1:00PM on TUESDAY JANUARY 14

Share this email with anyone you know who is an educator or school board member, a parent or grandparent of school age children, pediatrician or child safety advocate