TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — When you step into Sammy’s Mexican Grill, you might hear the sizzling of meat or the phone ringing for an order.
However, it doesn’t take long to see the restaurant’s walls lined with pictures of former President Trump, the restaurant’s logo even alluding to his hairstyle.
Owner Jorge Rivas isn’t exactly shy about being conservative.
His restaurant is family-owned and he works alongside his son, who he gave a gun to when he was 17 years old.
“But hurting any other person for no reason is not even close to our life or the way that we think,” Rivas said about his decision.
Rivas doesn’t approve of many of Biden’s recent plans to enforce the nation’s current gun control laws.
“They’re not addressing the problem. They’re just trying to fix the result of the problem. In order for that to work, they would have to get rid of every single gun and obviously that’s not going to happen,” Rivas said.
However, he doesn’t think everyone should be using a gun.
“Guns should only be handled by people that have not only the training, but the mental capacity to understand that they are a deadly weapon,” he said.
House Bill 2332 would teach students about what to do if they come across a firearm. It would require schools to train students in sixth through twelfth grades about how to prevent accidents with a firearm.
However, It doesn’t let trainers use live firearms and doesn’t allow students to be taught how to use a firearm.
The bill says the course can be taught by a firearms safety instructor certified by a law enforcement agency, U.S. military, or other federal agencies.
Even though he supports gun safety, Rivas said the bill wouldn’t make schools safer.
“It is a good idea but then again, like to me, that’s a parent’s responsibility,” he said.
Margaret Cheney is also concerned about the bill. She’s the president of the Tucson Education Association and also believes teaching gun safety should be up to a parent.
“If you own a firearm, yes you should know how to use it. Is that the school’s responsibility? Absolutely not!” Cheney expressed.
She said instead parents could take their kids to a gun range, but when thinking about it, said, “The very thought of that chills my blood.”
If a school wants, the bill would let schools offer students a separate course about how to use firearms safely.
Cheney, who grew up with guns, believes schools are a safe haven.
“Schools have been for years the safest place a kid could be,” she said.
However, she said if the bill does pass, training students how to use a gun, even if safely, could get out of control.
“I could just imagine a student who’s been trained, bringing their firearm to school,” Cheney said.
Parents may opt their students out of any of the training if the bill does pass. It would take effect in July 2024.
Rivas believes any danger with guns can be prevented if parents teach their kids values at home.
“Until we don’t fix those problems, then laws out on the street don’t really make a difference,” Rivas said.
Cheney also believes in adult intervention, saying teachers should talk with their students about any issues they may be having and should check up on their mental health.
“It truly takes a village and people willing to actually do the work,” Cheney said.
