July 3, 2006
Shannon's Law
Mayor Phil Gordon
Shannon's Law
By Mayor Phil Gordon
July 3, 2006
In 1999, my friend and neighbor, Shannon Smith was killed in her own backyard. She was talking to a friend on a cell phone when a bullet, fired into the air from 3 miles away, struck Shannon down.
Immediately, I, and others, made it our mission to get a bill through the legislature to criminalize the discharging of a firearm within any Arizona city. It was signed by Governor Hull in 2000, and it is called, fittingly, Shannon's Law.
Every Fourth of July, and every New Year's Eve, we remind people that firing a gun into the air can be deadly. And whether or not anyone is injured, you can be prosecuted and go to jail.
It is almost a cliché to say that what goes up, always comes down, but it is the absolute truth. And when it is a bullet, it comes down with deadly force.
This year, the Phoenix police will set up a command post to respond to these Random Gunfire calls. And we ARE asking the public to call if they see anyone firing a gun into the air.
We WILL investigate. And we WILL turn every case over to the County Attorney for prosecution.