To be on a tour Terry Schmidt gives at his new Scottsdale Gun Club is like watching a proud father show off his newborn. The owner of the north Scottsdale facility is quick to point out the bells and whistles that he and others involved in the project have made sure are part of the 30,000-square-foot building.

Dennis Jackson: "Is this gun unloaded?" If you can't answer this simple question with a strong degree of certainty, you have absolutely no business handling it.

Firearms safety kits are being made available upon request to Mesa residents to ensure that the guns do not wind up in the hands of children, Mesa police said.

December 21, 2004

Students in Apache Junction will learn about gun safety starting next school year, but the message they hear might be unlike anything else being taught nationwide.

When tragic stories of mass killing emerge, like the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut, the effects on weapons sales and legislation are well-publicized by news organizations and pundits, but there are other weapons-themed businesses like VIP Airsoft in Gilbert.

Arizona State University, like any major research university, is a very special and very complex learning environment. In addition to more than 70,000 of our own college students, we have day care centers, elementary school programs and thousands of elementary school-aged visitors in a given week, as well as thousands of out-of-state teenagers and their parents visiting.

Arizona State University, like any major research university, is a very special and very complex learning environment. In addition to more than 70,000 of our own college students, we have day care centers, elementary school programs and thousands of elementary school-aged visitors in a given week, as well as thousands of out-of-state teenagers and their parents visiting.

An analysis of the use of Taser International stun guns by Madison, Wis., police is being lauded by the Scottsdale-based manufacturer following a series of negative stories about the company’s controversial weapon.

As an incoming college freshman this fall, one of my major concerns is safety on campus. When I first realized that legislation is being considered to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, I became troubled about the effect on my college experience. Those who advocate more lax gun laws do so because they feel it increases security, but how will having so few restrictions do more good than harm? The requirements to get a permit, listed on the Arizona Department of Public Safety website, include a safety training program and no record of a felony offense, among other points. These conditions hardly seem excessive in order to wield something with so much potential for damage. The Second Amendment states that the people have the right to bear arms, but the Constitution was written in order to be flexible with changing times. With the necessity of a permit, people could still hold firearms, but only those who have proven their responsibility to do so. In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, it seems Arizona is in need of making some changes when it comes to gun control.

As an incoming college freshman this fall, one of my major concerns is safety on campus. When I first realized that legislation is being considered to allow concealed weapons on college campuses, I became troubled about the effect on my college experience. Those who advocate more lax gun laws do so because they feel it increases security, but how will having so few restrictions do more good than harm? The requirements to get a permit, listed on the Arizona Department of Public Safety website, include a safety training program and no record of a felony offense, among other points. These conditions hardly seem excessive in order to wield something with so much potential for damage. The Second Amendment states that the people have the right to bear arms, but the Constitution was written in order to be flexible with changing times. With the necessity of a permit, people could still hold firearms, but only those who have proven their responsibility to do so. In the wake of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, it seems Arizona is in need of making some changes when it comes to gun control.

We’ve all heard the stories about beheaded corpses in the desert, undocumented immigrants who are all AK47-toting weed smugglers and how Mexican drug cartels have taken over parts of Arizona. In the Valley, we constantly hear about kidnappings, home invasions and those two unsolved murders of college kids in Tempe.

In a year when state lawmakers have been quick on the trigger for new gun legislation, Gov. Janet Napolitano stopped a political bullet Monday by vetoing a plan that would have allowed firearms into bars and restaurants that serve liquor.

April 26, 2005

Rufus Glasper, chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges, said this week that he opposes SB 1474, which would allow guns to be carried on college campuses by persons other than law enforcement personnel.

Rufus Glasper, chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges, said this week that he opposes SB 1474, which would allow guns to be carried on college campuses by persons other than law enforcement personnel.

A West Valley legislator hopes to bring together Democrats and Republicans during a networking event later this month at Shooter’s World in Peoria.

 In an effort to continue fundraising for the construction of a domestic violence shelter in Maricopa, the men and women of the Maricopa police and fire departments are getting together for a little five-on-five, April 5.

March 25, 2005