Capitol Media Services

Guns

With no debate, state lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday morning to legislation allowing some people to carry their loaded weapons into bars, restaurants and other places where alcohol is served.

Existing law makes having a gun in these places a crime. SB 1113 creates an exception for the more than 125,000 Arizonans who have a stateissued permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The legislation forbids those who do have a gun from drinking. It also permits owners to post signs declaring their businesses to be weaponsfree zones.

Backers of the measure said it is designed to ensure that those who carry guns for protection do not have to leave their weapons in their vehicles if they want to have a meal in a restaurant that also serves alcohol. But the bill was altered to cover all places with liquor licenses, whether or not they serve food.

Gov. Brewer has not specifically said how she feels about the change. But she has been a strong proponent of the right to bear arms and even made comments in a speech to the annual convention of the National Rifle Association earlier this year about the long history of Arizonans and their guns  including in bars.

“You know, a saloon girl or two were even known to keep a derringer in their garter belt, just in case,’’ she told those at the May conference.

Illegal immigrants

State lawmakers killed legislation Wednesday to make it a violation of state trespass laws for someone to be in this country illegally.

HB 2280 was designed to make it easier for local police to arrest illegal immigrants by getting around the question of how much authority local law enforcement has to enforce federal laws.

But the legislation also would have overridden overrule any city or county regulations designed to keep officers from enforcing immigration laws. Sen. Russell Pearce, RMesa, said he wanted to kill what he called “sanctuary policies’’ in some cities, where officers are instructed not to check on the legal status of those with whom they come in contact.

There were enough votes for Senate approval. But by the time the measure came up in the house, shortly before 5 a.m., some of the bill’s supporters had already left, leaving it short of the 31 votes needed for final approval.

Sparklers

By a 1710 margin Wednesday, the Senate gave final approval to legalizing sparklers in Arizona.

The vote came over the objections of Sen. Meg Burton Cahill, DTempe, who said it would result in injuries to children. But Sen. Sylvia Allen, RSnowflake, said more children die in swimming pools than from accidents from these kinds of devices.

Gov. Jan Brewer has indicated she will sign the measure.

HB 2258 does not legalize firecrackers or anything that explodes, or anything that shoots up into the air. It also allows cities to ban the use  but not the sale  of sparklers within their limits.

Political signs

State senators gave final approval Wednesday to legislation designed to restrict the ability of state or local officials to remove political signs from public rights of way.

SB 1022 is aimed at ordinances in some cities that bar candidates and backers and foes of ballot measures from putting their signs adjacent to streets and sidewalks.

Those properties technically belong to the government.

Backers said limiting signs to private property only interfere with the right of political free speech.