All-righty, then. I thought it was bad enough before, but having been tipped off by radio reports, I looked up the text of the bill I mentioned the other day.
Existing Arizona law apparently defines misconduct, with reference to this subject, as carrying a deadly weapon without a permit, transporting it without a permit, enter public places and such where a reasonable request (e.g., a sign indicating policy) has been made to leave it in the custody of the sponsor, churches, bringing them into polling places on election day. etc., etc., etc., ... The usual, basically. That's part one.
Another Arizona law defines a deadly weapon as "anything designed for lethal use, including a firearm." Follow me? This includes, say, nuclear weapons, poison gas, landmines, bombs, IEDs ... anything designed for lethal use. That's part two.
The bill stipulated that existing law, in essence, "does not apply if the person is a United States citizen carrying a deadly weapon for personal protection, the protection of others, the state or the sanctity of a dwelling unit, whether the person is a resident of the dwelling or not." That's the last bit.
Get it? In other words, the law is so broad that some borderline insane vigilante guy could walk at random into state office building with a dirty bomb in a suitcase and sit in the lobby watching for undesirables.
Etc., etc. I'm sure you can think of more likely scenarios -- I'm just picking one for the sheer ridiculousness of it. Who decides intent? And when is it ever OK for someone to carry capsules of poison gas into a polling place, whatever their intent?
Thankfully, the bill has been withdrawn.
Lord, what fools these Republicans be.
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