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Arizona eyeing new concealed weapons bill

PHOENIX, June 22 (UPI) -- Opponents say proposed legislation in Arizona that would allow people to carry concealed weapons into restaurants serving alcohol is a dangerous idea.

Arizona state Sen. Ken Cheuvront, a Democrat, said the bill proposed by state Sen. Jack Harper, a Republican, would allow guns to be carried into restaurants and bars where alcohol is consumed, The Arizona Republic reported Monday.

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"As the only lawmaker who has a liquor establishment, there is a difference between a Wal-Mart, where people are going to be purchasing liquor, and restaurants, where liquor is going to be consumed on the premises," said Cheuvront, who owns Phoenix's Cheuvront Restaurant and Wine Bar.

"I just think with all the down-going in the economy now, there's got to be something more important to concentrate on than allowing people to bring guns into restaurants," Bill Smith of the Smith Hospitality Group management company said of SB1113.

Under the proposed bill, individuals carrying concealed weapons would not be legally allowed to consume alcohol in the restaurants. A maximum fine of $300 would be applied to those breaking that regulation, the newspaper said.

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