Lawmakers advance gun bills

That change in SB 1113 came not at the behest of the National Rifle Association, which wrote the bill, but after a push from bar owners. Lobbyist Don Isaacson of the Arizona Licensed Beverage Association said there is no sharp delineation in state law between what is a restaurant and what is a bar.

But Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, noted that NRA lobbyist Todd Rathner has argued all along the legislation is aimed at providing relief to gun owners who simply wanted to get something to eat and did not want to leave their loaded weapons in their vehicles.

She called extending that right to places where food isn't served "a dangerous cocktail," although she acknowledged the law would preclude anyone who is armed from also drinking.

But since the privilege will apply only to those who have a state-issued concealed weapon permit, which means they are not carrying a gun in the open, Sinema said, there is no way to enforce that no-drinking provision.

The measure to let guns into bars and restaurants, passed by a 6-2 vote by the House Judiciary Committee, was one of three measures advanced on Thursday to expand the rights of gun owners.

The same panel also agreed to SB 1243, which would allow individuals to "display" their weapons when they feel in danger, without risking prosecution on charges of intimidation.

And the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Rural Development voted to allow people to drive onto private property, including private businesses, and lock their guns in their vehicles, overruling any rules the business owners have for employees or customers. Supporters of HB 2474 said it ensures that people who go to work don't have to leave their weapons for self-protection at home just because their employer doesn't want guns on the property.

Current law makes it a crime for anyone to bring a weapon into any place where alcohol is served, which Gary Christensen, lobbyist for the NRA-affiliate Arizona State Rifle and Pistol Association, said is an inconvenience for those who have obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon because they want to be able to defend themselves. He said the law limits where they can eat, as many restaurants also have liquor licenses.

"You have to decide are you going to go in, are you going to go someplace else, are you going to leave the gun in your car?" he told members of the House Judiciary Committee. "Personally, my old pickup truck isn't the place I want to leave a gun."

The original version, sponsored by Sen. Jack Harper, R-Surprise, was limited to places that have both a liquor license and a "kitchen." But Isaacson complained that term isn't defined.

Harper said he isn't concerned about the change, saying he still believes that, from a practical standpoint, the law will affect more restaurants than bars.

Rep. Cecil Ash, R-Mesa, said it makes sense to let those with concealed-weapons permits carry their weapons into bars and restaurants.

"Everyone knows places where guns are not allowed are known as target-rich areas for criminals," he said.

The same argument was the basis for letting gun owners take their weapons to work, at least as far as the parking lot.

Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, said lots of people carry guns for self-defense.

"Many of these are women victims of domestic violence or women in general who feel vulnerable if they work late at night and they have to drive home alone and they're afraid of getting a flat tire on a lonely road," he said.

The 4-2 vote came over the objections of Clint Bolick, an attorney with the Goldwater Institute, who warned legislators they are setting a bad precedent in elevating the Second Amendment right to bear arms above property rights.

"What we see this legislation doing is turning privately owned parking garages, and mom-and-pop parking lots as well, into quasi-public property, which is something I hope this Legislature, a freedom-oriented Legislature, would never do," he said. "My gun rights end when I go onto your property."