Sheriff Paul Penzone: AR-15 assault rifles should not be easily acquired
Feb 20, 2018, 6:30 PM | Updated: 8:10 pm
(AP Photo/Matt York)
(AP Photo/Matt York)
PHOENIX — Nearly a week after 17 people were shot and killed at a high school in Florida, one of the top law enforcement officials in Arizona is raising debate over gun control measures that would restrict access to assault weapons.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac and Gaydos that while he believes in the Second Amendment, he believes in being a “responsible society” more.
It’s not OK to see kids being mowed down in schools and churches, Penzone said, arguing that it would be best to get guns out of the hands of those who commit crimes.
Penzone said there should be some process that gunowners have to go through that shows they do not have a mental illness, have not committed other crimes and are a responsible gun owner who understands gun safety.
RELATED STORIES
The sheriff also added that there is “no practical use for an AR-15” — the weapon that 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly used in the Majory Stoneman High School shooting — and raised the possibility of restricting who can possess or control them.
“They should not be as easily acquired,” Penzone said, adding that AR-15s are not hunting or self-defense tools.
“We need to address the issue of what is the most prominent way to take lives en masse,” he added. “It should not be so easy for those who choose to (take lives en masse) to have weapons readily available to them.”
