While Arizona Democrats are busily trying to ban nearly all repeating rifles, Republicans are treading down a rather more sane path. Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee voted (on a partisan 4-3 basis) to pass Senate Bill 1664, civil liability for firearm prohibitions.

This pretty much tells you what you need to know about the bill:

NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER LAW, A GOVERNMENT ENTITY THAT ESTABLISHES A GUN-FREE ZONE IS LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES CLAIMED BY A PERSON WHO WAS HARMED BY CRIMINAL CONDUCT IN THE GUN-FREE ZONE IF A REASONABLE PERSON WOULD BELIEVE THAT POSSESSION OF A FIREARM COULD HAVE HELPED THE PERSON DEFEND AGAINST THE CRIMINAL CONDUCT.

There was another section that allowed a court to award triple damages in certain circumstances (terrorist attack, person harmed was disabled, a minority, or over sixty-five), but that was struck by amendment.

I can live with that. Three of those things really violate the principle of equal protection under the law. The important point here is to establish that government is responsible for their victim disarming actions. This bill does that.

Now we just need to establish that non-governmental private entities like stores, banks, and restaurants are liable for stripping safety and gun rights from the innocent customers.