I would like to thank Council Vice Chair, Henry Leger, for raising his concerns at the last Town Council meeting regarding SB1257, sponsored by Sen. Kavanagh, which is now moving through the Arizona Legislature.

This bill, which is opposed by The League of AZ Cities and Towns, would require government buildings to allow concealed carry weapons permit holders to bring their guns into these buildings unless very costly metal detectors or security guards are installed at each door at the town’s expense.

I was extremely disappointed that Mayor Kavanagh and the other Council members did not support Leger’s desire to track this bill and look into it further. They not only didn’t second his motion, but the Mayor wouldn’t allow testimony by security personnel, David Letourneau, who was present at the meeting and should have had an important perspective on the issue.

The reasoning put forward by the Mayor and Councilman Dennis Brown, was basically that we would be safer with more armed civilians (trained concealed carry licensees) in the buildings in case of an armed intruder. This reasoning has been debunked over and over again.

Here are the facts: number of mass shootings stopped by armed civilians in the past 33 years is zero. Studies show that being armed increases your chances of getting into a confrontation. Among Texans convicted of serious crimes, those with concealed handgun licenses were sentenced for threatening someone with a firearm 4.8 times more than those without.

Town Council members are operating with flawed information and are basically allowing the state to extort us. We need to stop passage of this dangerous bill and keep guns out of our library and public buildings.

Make your views known! Attend the council meeting this coming Thursday or email the Town Council in opposition to SB1257.