Senate president kills bill raising standards for prosecution in gunfire cases

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The president of the state Senate is quashing legislation that would have made it harder to prosecute people for firing off weapons within city limits.

Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, said Monday he does not accept claims by proponents of HB 2287 that existing law results in people being arrested for legitimate accidents with their weapons.

Yarbrough said he believes that prosecutors would use their discretion before charging someone with a felony.

Conversely, Yarbrough said he does not want to do anything to undermine the ability to go after violators of “Shannon’s Law,” the 2000 legislation that was designed to deter people from firing their weapons into the air.

“I’ve just studied this on my own,” said Yarbrough, who is an attorney. “I think it’s unnecessary.”

Yarbrough gets to exercise a one-person veto because he chairs the Senate Rules Committee through which all bills must pass before going to the floor. And since he won’t hear the bill, it is dead for this year.

Rep. Tony Rivero, R-Peoria, who shepherded the legislation through the House and through the Senate Government Committee, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.