Arizona Governor Doug Ducey is working with educators, law enforcement, parents, students, and other relevant parties to develop an aggressive plan to address school safety. He is expected to introduce the plan soon.
In a series of tweets, Gov. Ducey said he is tackling the school safety in a non-partisan way. He believes that Arizona can lead the country in addressing the issue. The governor also disclosed some of the details of his plan including the following:
- respecting the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding Americans while enforcing the laws
- increasing school resource officers and law enforcement presence at schools
- closing loopholes
- enhancing background checks
- increasing mental health behavioral resources at schools
- restricting access to weapons for individual who pose a danger to themselves or others
- cracking down on people illegally possessing weapons
Additionally, the governor also said the shooter at Marjory Douglas Stoneman High School in Florida “exhibited obvious signs of being a threat.” He suggested that lawmakers should introduce legislation to restrict people with mental illness from obtaining or possessing guns.
In the overwhelming majority of the deadliest mass shootings in the last 20 years, the shooter exhibited obvious signs of being a threat. Why not have laws and a process to restrict these individuals from possessing or obtaining guns? https://t.co/0DMu7BAVhJ
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) March 15, 2018
Restoring gun rights to individuals with a violent criminal history needs to be scrutinized – not rubber-stamped. We need better policy to make sure this happens in our legal system.
— Doug Ducey (@dougducey) March 16, 2018
Furthermore, Gov. Ducey said Arizona needs a centralized tip line to report and investigate concerns of school safety. He added that the state needs more funding and better training for school resource officers.
