Arizonans cannot bring loaded guns in their cars onto public school grounds.

The state Senate voted 15-14 Thursday to reject a measure that would have allowed loaded guns in cars at district and charter schools. It fell one vote short of passing in the 30-member chamber.

State law already allows adults to keep unloaded firearms in their cars when they park on school property. House Bill 2693 would have removed the requirement that the gun be unloaded.

Proponents of HB 2693 said parents could inadvertently be breaking the law if they don't stop and unload their guns every time they drop off or pick up their kids from school.

“We have mothers; we have fathers that carry weapons in their car," bill sponsor Rep. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, said during a February hearing. “People just aren't even aware of this."

He said he introduced the bill at the urging of the National Rifle Association.

But the measure was opposed by Democrats and a few moderate Republicans, along with gun-safety groups such as Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

“I’m glad that legislators stood on the side of common sense today by defeating this dangerous bill,” Geneva Haber, a Moms Demand Action volunteer, said in a statement after the vote.

Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, and Sen. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, cast the crucial swing votes Thursday to reject the bill. Neither could be immediately reached for comment.

The bill previously passed the House on a party-line vote.

During a hearing in the House Public Safety Committee, Rep. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, testified that he himself has accidentally broken the law by taking a loaded gun onto a school campus when he picked up his children.

"Didn't know I was breaking a law," he said at the time. "So, let's get rid of an unnecessary law."

Under existing Arizona law, it's illegal to carry a firearm on the grounds of a public district or charterK-12 school, with a two key exceptions for civilians:

One exception permits adults to store unloaded guns in their vehicles when they park on school campuses, as long as the firearm is kept out of sight and the vehicle remains locked.

A second exception exists for firearms "for use on the school grounds in a program approved by a school."

Gun-safety advocates and Democrats called the notion that a loaded gun can be safety stored on school grounds absurd. They said guns kept in vehicles are popular targets for thieves.

"The bottom line is this: the presence of a gun increases the risk posed to children," Suzanne McCormick-Fulton, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action, testified in the House.

According to a 2016 report from Everytown For Gun Safety, Phoenix police received reports of 4,664 guns stolen from vehicles between 2005 and 2014. Nationwide, a fifth of stolen guns are taken from vehicles.

Did the Senate make the right call? Reach legislative reporter Dustin Gardiner at dustin.gardiner@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-2471. Follow him on Twitter: @dustingardiner.

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