PHOENIX – Lauren Snyder, who serves on the leadership board of Women for Gun Rights’ Arizona chapter and works at Attorneys for Freedom Law Firm, was attacked several years ago and left helpless, she said, because she couldn’t bring her firearm with her.
Snyder said pro-Second Amendment legislation like Senate Bill 1012 are critical to her safety. Snyder experienced an attempted abduction a few years ago, she said, but left her firearm at home because the place she was going did not permit them.
She was attacked as she walked back to her car. As a person with a disability, she said she felt helpless because she couldn’t run away. Since then, Snyder has advocated for gun rights, providing a voice for both women and people with disabilities.
“Gun-free zones may sound nice in theory, but they’re extremely dangerous,” she said. “As a gun owner, I’m confident in my ability to protect myself, and I know I’m an asset in protecting my family, because I’m always armed. I’m not scared, I’m prepared.”
SB 1012, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Janae Shamp, would allow people to carry a concealed handgun on retail premises, with the caveat that at restaurants, the carrier cannot consume “spirituous liquor.”
On Thursday morning in the Senate Majority Caucus room, lawmakers and advocates met to highlight SB 1012 and other firearms bills that have been introduced in the state Legislature.
The Arizona chapter of Women for Gun Rights, a nationwide organization focused on nonpartisan efforts to safeguard Second Amendment rights, joined the three female Republican lawmakers who sponsored the legislation, highlighting the importance of the bills.
Rep. Selina Bliss spoke about HB 2076, which would establish the Save Our Children School Safety Program. The bill focuses on school employee training, crisis preparation and an optional certification for designated school staff to carry firearms on campus. The bill passed the House and is waiting for Senate approval.
Joining Bliss were Sens. Wendy Rogers and Shamp. Rogers’ focus was on prevention of gun mishaps through education, a message of importance to her and Cheryl Todd, the Arizona state and Southeast regional director for Women for Gun Rights Arizona.
Todd’s daughter and granddaughters stood behind her, the grandaughters swayed and flashed wide smiles, as she proclaimed the importance of educating every generation.
“With any of our rights and any pieces of education, if we are not passing it forward to the next generation, then really, what are we doing?” she asked. “It is our responsibility to make certain that we are passing that baton forward.”
Rogers is the primary sponsor of SB 1424, which passed the Senate and is under consideration in the House. The bill would provide age-appropriate firearm education for students in public schools.
“My bill takes a very straightforward approach,” Rogers said. “Students are taught what to do if they encounter a firearm, they are told not to touch it,” she added. “They are told to leave the area and to tell a trusted adult.”
Education is not only prevention, but it’s empowerment, according to Todd.
“We all understand that we teach our children how to swim, even if we don’t have a pool in our backyard,” she said. “We need to do the same things when it comes to these tools of self-defense so that they are empowered to keep themselves safe, and when every child is taught the same level of safety, then we are all safer.”
The proposed bill would include annual firearm safety training in K-12 schools, but explicitly states live firearms and ammunition are banned from the training. If passed, the bill would take effect ahead of the 2027-2028 school year.
Education wasn’t the only focus on Thursday morning. Shamp also highlighted her bill on concealed carry licenses that clarifies exactly where concealed carry is allowed.
“Here’s the truth that no one wants to say out loud: criminals do not disarm at the door. Threats don’t wait for dessert. Your children’s safety does not end at the restaurant door,” Shamp said.
“This is about restaurants. This is not bars. This is not nightclubs,” she said. “This is about families who just want to eat in peace and stay alive if that peace is shattered.”
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