Arizona Republicans are trying to revive a bill that would force colleges to allow anyone with a concealed carry permit to bring a weapon on campus. Senate Bill 1198 “[p]rohibits the governing board of any university, college or community college from prohibiting the possession of a concealed weapon by a concealed weapon permit holder, or the lawful transportation or storage of a firearm.”
Current state law bans all weapons from campuses, according to the Arizona Mirror.
Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers introduced the latest bill at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week by saying, “This is a rerun. This is important. It's seminal and it speaks to us being able to protect ourselves in an increasingly dangerous environment, especially college campuses.”
After an audience member pointed out how even trained law enforcement officers have proven to be ineffective against shooters when under duress, committee chairman Anthony Kern opted to make boastful statements about his gun fetish.
YouTube Video
Kern is one of two fake electors still governing in Arizona, and that display wasn’t the first time the state senator said things he cannot back up during a hearing about public safety. Back in 2015, Kern claimed to be a “certified peace officer.” It turned out there was no evidence that Kern ever held such a position. In fact, before Kern ran for state office he was fired from his job as a civilian code enforcement officer by the El Mirage Police Department—for being a liar.
State Sen. Justine Wadsack, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, offered up what seems to pass for sage wisdom among the Second Amendment fetishists who voted to pass the bill on to the state Senate.
“We cannot use the mental illness card for everything. We write laws for the many, not for the few,” she said.
Wadsack’s most recent wackadoo bona fide came on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, when she shared a fake transcript from United Flight 93. She also liked multiple conspiracy posts that claimed 9/11 was “an inside job” and said “it never added up.” This happened just one month after she was named “Freshman Senator of the Year” by the Arizona Republican Party.
As for Rogers, she was censured in 2022 by her fellow Republicans and senators—not for antisemitic statements made, nor for her ties to white nationalists, but for her statements about perceived enemies needing to be hung from the gallows. Yikes.
Kern ended the hearing on SB 1198 with a bizarre rant:
First, there is no evidence for that first statement Kern made about someone killing 30 people and serving only two years in prison. Second, police officers and dozens of “good guys” with guns sat on their asses for more than 45 minutes while the Uvalde shooter killed 19 little children and two adults. That’s what happened when trained, brawny men with guns showed up to attempt to protect children from a teenager with an AR-15.
When Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year, she wrote that “Our colleges and universities are places where our students should feel welcome and safe,” and added that “We cannot set a precedent that allows guns on campus.”
Republican extremism says otherwise.
Disinformation is a growing problem in American politics, but combating it in Latino media poses its own special challenges. Joining us on this week's episode of "The Downballot" is Roberta Braga, founder of the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, a new organization devoted to tackling disinformation and building resiliency in Latino communities. Braga explains how disinformation transcends borders but also creates opportunities for people in the U.S. to import new solutions from Latin America. She also underscores the importance of fielding Latino candidates and their unique ability to address the issue.
Embedded Content
Campaign Action
Current state law bans all weapons from campuses, according to the Arizona Mirror.
Republican state Sen. Wendy Rogers introduced the latest bill at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week by saying, “This is a rerun. This is important. It's seminal and it speaks to us being able to protect ourselves in an increasingly dangerous environment, especially college campuses.”
After an audience member pointed out how even trained law enforcement officers have proven to be ineffective against shooters when under duress, committee chairman Anthony Kern opted to make boastful statements about his gun fetish.
YouTube Video
Kern is one of two fake electors still governing in Arizona, and that display wasn’t the first time the state senator said things he cannot back up during a hearing about public safety. Back in 2015, Kern claimed to be a “certified peace officer.” It turned out there was no evidence that Kern ever held such a position. In fact, before Kern ran for state office he was fired from his job as a civilian code enforcement officer by the El Mirage Police Department—for being a liar.
State Sen. Justine Wadsack, a member of the Arizona Freedom Caucus, offered up what seems to pass for sage wisdom among the Second Amendment fetishists who voted to pass the bill on to the state Senate.
“We cannot use the mental illness card for everything. We write laws for the many, not for the few,” she said.
Wadsack’s most recent wackadoo bona fide came on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, when she shared a fake transcript from United Flight 93. She also liked multiple conspiracy posts that claimed 9/11 was “an inside job” and said “it never added up.” This happened just one month after she was named “Freshman Senator of the Year” by the Arizona Republican Party.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Senator @Wadsack4Arizona named AZGOP’s Freshman Senator of the Year Full press releasepic.twitter.com/6PEWO9K6li
— Arizona Republican Party (@AZGOP) August 10, 2023
As for Rogers, she was censured in 2022 by her fellow Republicans and senators—not for antisemitic statements made, nor for her ties to white nationalists, but for her statements about perceived enemies needing to be hung from the gallows. Yikes.
Kern ended the hearing on SB 1198 with a bizarre rant:
First, there is no evidence for that first statement Kern made about someone killing 30 people and serving only two years in prison. Second, police officers and dozens of “good guys” with guns sat on their asses for more than 45 minutes while the Uvalde shooter killed 19 little children and two adults. That’s what happened when trained, brawny men with guns showed up to attempt to protect children from a teenager with an AR-15.
When Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a similar bill last year, she wrote that “Our colleges and universities are places where our students should feel welcome and safe,” and added that “We cannot set a precedent that allows guns on campus.”
Republican extremism says otherwise.
Disinformation is a growing problem in American politics, but combating it in Latino media poses its own special challenges. Joining us on this week's episode of "The Downballot" is Roberta Braga, founder of the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, a new organization devoted to tackling disinformation and building resiliency in Latino communities. Braga explains how disinformation transcends borders but also creates opportunities for people in the U.S. to import new solutions from Latin America. She also underscores the importance of fielding Latino candidates and their unique ability to address the issue.
Embedded Content
Campaign Action