On September 2, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a written opinion that concealed carry permit holders are not prevented from being armed on private school campuses in the state for self-defense.
Brnovich also said that private schools are not prohibited from keeping guns on campus that can be retrieved for use in the event of an attack on the school.
According to AZ Central, Brnovich indicated that “the Federal Gun Free School Zones Act (GFSZA) makes it a crime to knowingly possess a gun on the grounds of a public, parochial or private school but does not apply if the individual is licensed by the state.” If the school has a program for licensed carriers — teachers, staff, parents — to have their guns for defense of themselves and students, then individuals with an Arizona-issued concealed permit can carry in compliance with that program. Brnovich also noted, “An Arizona private school could initiate a program in which they securely store firearms on campus and provide access to trained firearm handling employees.”
Brnovich issued this opinion at the request of Senator Steve Yarbrough (R-Chandler). Yarbrough said, “I work with a lot of private schools and several of them had inquired as to what they could to do to make their campuses safer. They inquired about what kind of personnel they could have on campus, and what kind of circumstances they could store firearms on campus.”
Earlier this year, Governor Doug Ducey (R) signed legislation prohibiting school boards from “banning someone from legally possessing a deadly weapon on a public right of way adjacent to campus.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com
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