Gun bill to punish the City of Tucson on House COW Calendar today

The gun worshipers and fetishists want to punish the City of Tucson, and Councilman Steve Kozachik in particular, for having enacted a couple of common sense city ordinances for gun safety that in no way interfered with their right of gun ownership. These absolutists and ideological extremists want no regulations whatsoever.

Rep. Steve Smith (R-Maricopa), who is running for the Senate in LD 11 this year, is the sponsor of HB 2517 (.pdf), which is on the House Committee of the Whole (COW) Calendar today.

According to the Summary prepared for the House, this punitive bill:

·          States that a court shall declare invalid, any improper act, ordinance, regulation, tax or rule that violates state law concerning firearms regulated by the state and issue an injunction against the political subdivision from continuing the act or enforcing the ordinance, regulation, tax or rule.

·          Excludes the defense that a political subdivision was acting in good faith or on the advice of counsel.

·          Establishes a civil penalty of up to $5,000 for any government official or political subdivision who knowingly or wilfully commits a violation.

·          States that public monies may not be used to defend or reimburse a person who knowingly or wilfully commits a violation.

·          Specifies that any person who commits a violation while performing official duties is subject to termination.

·          States that any person or organization that is adversely affected by an ordinance, rule, regulation, tax, measure, directive, order or policy that is in violation may file a civil action in court for declaratory relief and actual damages against the guilty political subdivision.

·          Directs the court to award reasonable attorney fees, costs and actual damages up to $100,000.

So-called “small government” conservatives are all for using the power of Big Brother to dictate to local governments and to invalidate home rule and local control when it suits the needs of the lobbyists to whom they cater, in this case, the gun lobby.  These Neo-Confederate Tenthers who are always talking about sovereignty and states’ rights sing a different tune when it comes to counties and municipalities. Our colonial overlords from the state of Maricopa have been trying to subjugate the rebellious blue colony of the City of Tucson for years now.

Another gun bill is on the House COW Calendar today, HB 2339 (.pdf), sponsored by Teabagger Rep. Brenda Barton, which allows a person with a valid conceal carry permit to carry a firearm on their person while at a public event or public establishment if the venue does not provide security personnel, metal detectors and safe storage for weapons.

There is another gun bill on the Senate Third Read Calendar today, SB 1063 (.pdf), which also exempts a person who lawfully possesses a firearm and enters a public establishment or a public event from misconduct involving weapons if proper storage for the weapon is not provided by the operator of the establishment or the sponsor of the event.

These are the “guns in public buildings” bills.