BENTONVILLE — Abortion and gun issues continued to be the focal point for some during Saturday morning’s forum attended by five area state legislators.
Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, told the crowd gathered at the Shewmaker Center for Business Development abortion and gun issues make up about 2 percent of the bills the Legislature has dealt with so far during the current session. Hester said abortion and gun issues have been the focal point of the media’s attention.
While other issues were discussed during the forum, the issue of guns and abortion was the focus of some of the questions and comments directed at the legislators.
Terry Phillips, who teaches at NorthWest Arkansas Community College, was critical of a bill allowing teachers or faculty to have guns on college campuses. Phillips’ criticisms pertained to liability issues and he also didn’t believe the bill was necessary especially for colleges with a good security detail already.
Phillips said his students said they would like to know what faculty members would be armed with a gun, but the Legislature passed a bill concerning removing information about concealed permits from public records.
“The true liability is when we don’t allow someone to protect themselves and someone comes in and kills a mother of three,” Hester said. “That’s true liability.”
Hester said he expects the bill to pass the Senate on Monday.
Frank Winscott, a former Benton County justice of the peace, stood and thanked the legislators for passing the bill concerning abortion and Winscott said he hopes the attorney general defends the bill all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Winscott urged the legislators to support measures to do away with gun free zones and claimed all mass killings have occurred in gun free zones.
“Gun-free zones are the most dangerous places I know,” Winscott said.
Winscott thanked the legislators for passing the law to allow some to carry their guns into churches and noted a lot of the bills that become law limit his freedom.
Wayne Calhoun stood and said many in the crowd and each of the state legislators may disagree with him. Calhoun referenced back to Winscott’s statement concerning “freedom.” Calhoun referenced when the choice is taken from a woman then it limits her freedom and Calhoun called it a “conflict approach.” Some applauded after Calhoun’s statements.
Hester responded abortion bills are as much about equal rights to the child as the mother. Some also applauded after Hester’s statement.
Rep. Sue Scott, R-Rogers, filed a bill earlier this week seeking to have an open carry law instead of the concealed carry one. Scott wasn’t asked about her bill, but she didn’t hide from it either.
“Open carry, open carry, open carry,” Scott said when she made her first statements at the forum.
School choice, term limits, and tax cuts were also discussed at the forum. Les Carnine, R-Rogers, Debbie Hobbs, R-Rogers, and Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, also attended the forum.
Legislators also told those gathered at the crowd the best ways to contact them.
Dotson encouraged people to use social media to follow their representatives. Dotson noted he has Twitter and Facebook pages to help stay in touch with constituents.
Scott said her email address remains [email protected]. She was asked when she was running for the office if she planned to change the address to more professional one. Scott said she had no plans to change the address because it was created by her grandchildren.
“I hope it doesn’t become [email protected],” Scott said.