Arizona wants to allow concealed carry at college games? Bad idea
I'm a 20-year-old student at Paradise Valley Community College and volunteer with Students Demand Action.
I urge Gov. Katie Hobbs to veto Senate Bill 1020, which would force Arizona's colleges and universities to allow people with concealed-carry permits to bring guns to our classrooms, dorms and sporting events.
This reckless bill would make my campus less safe.
The Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board, which oversees my campus and nine others, has prohibited firearms except in very limited circumstances.
Just like the Arizona Board of Regents, they have made this smart choice to protect students, teachers and visitors. This bill would take the choice away from university governing boards and instead mandate allowing concealed carry on campus.
As a student, I know that nobody needs a gun to go to school. If this bill becomes law, it would allow guns where they do not belong. Students like me would no longer feel safe at school.
The Legislature has again tried to make campuses less safe, but Governor Hobbs can still veto SB 1020. The lives of our students, staff and faculty depend on it.
Carmen Rojas, Phoenix
What's on your mind? Send us a letter to the editor online or via email at opinions@arizonarepublic.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Concealed carry will make Arizona colleges less safe | Letter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
This governor vetoed a bill that would ban China from purchasing land. Here's why
Arizona Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing criticism for vetoing a bill that would have prevented China from buying land in the state. In her veto letter, dated June 2, Hobbs said she considered protecting infrastructure important. 'However, this legislation is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets,' she said in the letter. 'Additionally, it lacks clear implementation criteria and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement.' Foreign entities own about 40 million acres, or 3%, of U.S. farmland as of 2021. Out of this, China owns 1%, much lower in comparison to Canada, which owns 33%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This may seem like a small percentage, but it carries sizable national security implications, whether it's over concerns of who is controlling U.S. assets or whether the land could be used to conduct espionage. The bill in Arizona set out to address these concerns. In Arizona's Maricopa and Pinal counties, more than 294,000 acres of agricultural land is owned by Chinese corporations, as per the USDA Farm Services Agency. When Hobbs announced her decision to veto the bipartisan bill, she faced pushback. Arizona state Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp claimed the veto was 'politically motivated' and 'utterly insane.' Shamp introduced the bill to protect the 'state's military, commercial and agricultural assets from foreign espionage and sabotage,' per the text of the legislation. She claims China attempted to lease land next to Luke Air Force Base, where the military trains fighter pilots. Michael Lucci, the CEO and founder of State Armor Action, a nonprofit organization that is pushing 70 bills targeting China in states across the country, said Hobbs hung an ''Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door,' and made critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant and Taiwan Semiconductor factory more vulnerable. 'Allowing Communist China to buy up land near our critical assets is a national security risk, plain and simple,' Lucci told Fox News. 'Gov. Hobbs is substantively and completely wrong when she says that SB 1109 'is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets.'' The White House attempted to ban China from buying U.S. land. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed this move earlier in February. 'One of the very, very top of the list perhaps is the Chinese purchase of our farmland. A lot of that land is around some of our military outposts,' Rollins told Breitbart News. Many states, especially the ones led by Republicans, are taking note. As of March 17, 27 states are considering 84 bills that restrict foreign property ownership in some way, according to Committee of 100, a nonprofit that advocates for Chinese Americans. Twenty-two states passed nearly 40 bills that restrict foreign property ownership, 17 of which became law last year. The idea of curbing investments from foreign adversaries into the U.S. for national security reasons isn't new. The U.S. restricted Chinese-based telecommunication company Huawei from doing business with American companies. Beijing-based social media app TikTok has so far survived a ban passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court, thanks to President Donald Trump, who extended the deadline for its Chinese parent company ByteDance to divest the app's assets in the U.S. It's possible Trump will extend the deadline a third time ahead of June 19, considering the app has 170 million users in the U.S. Still, the idea of restricting certain foreign investments isn't as popular in the Western U.S. as it is in the Midwest and the South. Only Idaho and Utah have laws on the books against international property buyers. Meanwhile, Nevada, California, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado and New Mexico do not. In the Beehive State, foreign-owned land is less than 40,000 acres. But it ranks in the top five in the country for the amount of acreage at risk due to the number of key military installations it hosts, including Hill Air Force Base, the Utah Test and Training Range and Dugway Proving Ground, as the Deseret News previously reported. Utah's foreign investment restriction laws attempt to nip the problem in the bud instead of letting it fester. Last year, the GOP-held state Legislature passed HB516, which prevents some countries — North Korea, China, Iran and Russia — from buying land in Utah. As the Deseret News previously reported, this bill sought to address national security concerns. The Utah Department of Public Safety is tasked with documenting these land holdings and compiling a database to reverse foreign investments. Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, originally cosponsored a bill that would address this issue on the national level. In 2023, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed another bill, the Restrictions on Foreign Acquisitions of Land Act, that prohibits or restricts foreign investments and landholdings in Utah. In 2023, the Idaho Legislature codified a law that would restrict foreign governments or foreign-government owned businesses from buying farmland in the state or holding claims to any mineral or water. The Legislature fell short of enacting any enforcement for this law but remedied this two years later. In April, Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed a law that authorized the state's attorney general to enforce the foreign ownership law.
Black America Web
3 days ago
- Black America Web
Chaos, Combat & Charisma: Prime Video Releases The Final Electrifying Trailer For ‘Heads Of State' Starring Idris Elba & John Cena
Source: Cortesty / Amazon MGM Studios Today (June 4th), Prime Video shared the second and final trailer for one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. Continue reading to check it out! In the action-comedy Heads of State , the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries' 'special relationship.' But when they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary—who proves more than a match for the two leaders' security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Ultimately allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset, they must go on the run and find a way to work together long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world. On top of Elba ( The Wire, Takers, Hobbs & Shaw, The Harder They Fall ) and Cena ( Daddy's Home 2, F9, The Suicide Squad ), the film also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas ( Baywatch, The Matrix Resurrections, Citadel ), Paddy Considine, Stephen Root ( King of the Hill, Dodgeball, Get Out ), Carla Gugino ( Spy Kids trilogy, American Gangster, Night at the Museum ), Jack Quaid ( The Boys, Oppenheimer, Novocaine ) and Sarah Niles ( I May Destroy You, Ted Lasso ). Ilya Naishuller ( Hardcore Henry, Nobody ) directed Heads of State from a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Harrison Query, and story from Query. The film was produced by Peter Safran and John Rickard, with Marcus Viscidi, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Elba and Cena serving as executive producers. Heads of State will premiere globally on Prime Video July 2nd, 2025. In the meantime, check out the final trailer (and the first one) and some first look images from the action packed comedy below! Chaos, Combat & Charisma: Prime Video Releases The Final Electrifying Trailer For 'Heads Of State' Starring Idris Elba & John Cena was originally published on Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Source:Amazon MGM Studios Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
American Military News
3 days ago
- American Military News
Democrat governor vetoes bill limiting Chinese land near US bases
Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) is facing backlash after vetoing a bill on Monday that was intended to prevent China from purchasing land located near military bases and other strategic assets. In a Monday letter to Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen, a Republican, Hobbs wrote, 'Today, I vetoed Senate Bill 1109. Improvements to systems that protect our infrastructure are important. However, this legislation is ineffective at counter-espionage and does not directly protect our military assets. Additionally, it lacks clear implementation and opens the door to arbitrary enforcement.' The legislation vetoed by the Democrat governor, S.B 1109, would have prevented China from obtaining a 30% stake in the Arizona property. Fox News reported that the Arizona state legislature could still implement the bill if it votes to override the governor's veto. In a statement obtained by Arizona Daily Independent, Arizona Senate Majority Leader Janae Shamp, a Republican, slammed Hobbs for blocking the bill with a 'politically motivated veto,' which she said was 'utterly insane.' Shamp added that Hobbs was acting as 'an obstructionist against safeguarding our citizens from threats.' READ MORE: Red state orders Chinese company to sell US farmland According to Fox News, Shamp previously warned that China had attempted to lease buildings located near Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. State Armor Action CEO Michael Lucci also criticized the Democrat governor, saying, 'Governor Hobbs's veto of SB 1109 hangs an 'Open for the CCP' sign on Arizona's front door, allowing Communist China to buy up American land near critical assets like Luke Air Force Base, Palo Verde nuclear power plant, and Taiwan Semiconductor's growing fabrication footprint.' Lucci argued that Hobbs was 'substantively and completely wrong' for suggesting that S.B. 1109 was not effective at 'counter-espionage' and would not directly protect U.S. military assets in Arizona. The State Armor Action CEO added that letting China purchase land near 'critical assets' in Arizona presents a 'national security risk.' According to Committee of 100, a nonprofit organization of Chinese Americans, 27 states were considering 84 bills to place restrictions on foreign property ownership as of March 17. The nonprofit organization's website shows that 22 states have already approved bills that place restrictions on foreign property ownership, with 17 of the bills being passed into law in 2024.
