Gov. Brewer Vetoes Guns on Campus Bill
In a surprising move that no one expected last week, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed the proposed bill that would’ve allowed students and faculty to carry guns on the state’s college campuses. Brewer was expected to sign off on the bill but said it was sloppily written and she couldn’t put it through in good conscience.
We featured a story about this bill just last week when it was expected to be passed. But this week Brewer caught everyone off guard with her veto. “I thought it was a very rude veto letter” said Senator Ron Gould, the Republican sponsor of the bill.
But Brewer said the language wasn’t clear enough and she didn’t want to put lawful gun owners in a place where they may become unintentional law breakers. In specific, the bill allowed for guns on the public “right of way” on campus but didn’t explain what these right of ways included. Also, it said “educational institutions”, something Brewer said could be misconstrued to mean any school in the state.
Brewer is a staunch gun rights advocate which is why so many were surprised by her last minute veto. School administrators and other opponents had flooded the Governor’s office over the past weeks, with 904 calls, letters, and faxes in support of the measure and 951 against it according to the Arizona Republic.
Though opponents are celebrating the veto, there’s a chance that a changed version of the bill will once again make the rounds in the state Legislature.
Governor Brewer also vetoed the so called “birther bill” that would have required “proof” of citizenship for anyone on the state ballot running for President. For the moment, the Governor does not seem to be afraid of angering her most conservative supporters, who were behind both of these efforts.
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