Dear Editor,
The Arizona Republic's coverage of the Shannon's Law debate has been miserable, and average. Nowhere in the recent articles printed here is there mention of three existing felony statutes in Arizona Revised Code Title 13 that could and should be used to prosecute such crimes. The bill's proponents tell us that prosecutors are unable to use the clear language of those laws. But on closer inspection we find that they have never tried to use them because police never catch the the violators.
Shannon's Law is an unfortunate example of feel-good legislation. But it did not need to be this way. It was suggested to the legislature that the redundant penalty found in Shannon's Law be replaced by a dollar for dollar tax credit for firearms safety training as well as public service announcements featuring gun safety messages. After all, the media blitz in the weeks before New Years was followed by a 40% reduction in reports of gun fire. That shows the power of education. But the proposal was abandoned by the legislature. Why? At the urging of the NRA which does not like to see competition for its own training programs (not-invented-here). And more to the point, the NRA knows a political victory when it sees one, even though the benefits will be equivalent to the number of prosecutions under the old and new law...ZERO.
Rick DeStephens
Glendale, Az