Police pushback causes Rivero to revise effort to weaken “Shannon’s Law’’

Regional News

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The sponsor of legislation to weaken “Shannon’s Law” agreed Tuesday to stop trying to allow people to fire off guns in the city within a quarter-mile of any residence.

Rep. Tony Rivero, R-Peoria, said there was too much pushback to his proposal from police and prosecutors who complained of the danger to public safety. That opposition apparently left him without sufficient votes to get the measure approved Tuesday by the House as scheduled.

Rivero promised to restore the current standard, which makes it a felony crime to fire a weapon within a mile of any occupied structure.

In exchange, prosecutors have agreed to drop their opposition to the other key provision of HB 2287 legalizing the criminally negligent discharge of a weapon within a city. Instead, the new law would require proof that someone knowingly or intentionally fired off a round before someone could face prison time.

Deputy Pima County Attorney Kathleen Mayer said she does not think that change will significantly tie the hands of prosecutors.

The current law was enacted in 2000 in the wake of the death of 14-year-old Shannon Smith, a Phoenix teen who died when she was hit a bullet fired into the air. No one was ever arrested.