A local gun rights advocate and a democratic lawmaker are seeing eye-to-eye on solutions to prevent gun violence. President of Gun Owners of Arizona, Ken Rineer, is suggesting a free course to help gun owners get familiar with their weapons. State senator-elect, Steve Farley, likes the idea so much, he wants to make it a law.
Thier comments come on the heels of a proposed gun buy back event in Tucson. City council member Steve Kozachik has raised enough money to hold an event where Tucson police can take in unwanted weapons in exchange for grocery gift cards.
"A criminal who has a Mack 10 or AR 15 or whatever their firearm of choice is, is not going to go turn it in for a $50 Safeway giftcard," says Rineer.
Instead Rineer wants to organize an event where people can learn more about gun safety from volunteer instructors.
"Teach people. How do you properly handle a firearm, how do you properly check whether it's safe or not, does it have a cartridge in the chamber, how do you store a firearm."
"There's an easy way of doing that," says Farley. "Just require people to have training before they can have a concealed carry permit."
Farley wants to bring back laws requiring gun owners to take classes.
"Just because you're over 18, you should walk in and carry a gun? Obviously that didn't work in the case of these shooters we've seen in these recent tragedies."
Farley would like to see investments in mental health projects. He believes the answer is putting more counselors in schools.
The gun buy back event has not been scheduled, but organizers are eyeing the January 8th date to mark two years since the mass shooting at Safeway.
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