Doug Ducey only governor candidate to decline invite to student-led gun-control town hall

When a pack of gubernatorial hopefuls takes the stage Tuesday to debate gun violence and school safety, one face will be noticeably absent.

Incumbent Republican Gov. Doug Ducey was the only primary candidate to decline the town hall invitation from March for Our Lives Arizona, according to organizers with the student-led gun-control group. 

Democratic candidates Kelly Fryer, David Garcia and state Sen. Steve Farley promptly committed to attending the forum, which had about 500 registered attendees as of Monday.

Ken Bennett, Ducey's Republican challenger, accepted his invitation Saturday.

"Ken Bennett clearly does not agree with anything we propose, yet he is still willing to have this conversation with our community," said Mesa Mountain View High School senior Jordan Harb, March for Our Lives Arizona director. "I think, ultimately, this shows how much of a coward Doug Ducey is."

Patrick Ptak, a spokesman for Ducey's reelection campaign, confirmed the governor would not participate in the town hall but declined to elaborate.

He pointed The Republic to Ducey's "Safe Arizona Schools" plan.

A 'final opportunity'

Local members of the March for Our Lives movement — which students formed after the February school shooting in Parkland, Florida — have tried fruitlessly to meet with the governor for months.

In addition to written requests, marches and public pleas, they have staged "die-in" protests at the Capitol, drawing news cameras and counterprotests.

On Wednesday, they held a news conference before hand-delivering the governor's formal invitation to the town hall. They described the forum as Ducey's "final opportunity to show some semblance of character before the midterms," saying they'd been registering students throughout the state to vote.

"We’re going to continue to…fight and try and get a meeting with Gov. Ducey and other members of (state government) that can really bring about change," organizer Jacob Martinez said. "Until that happens, we’re not going to stop."

Asked Thursday after an unrelated event whether he planned to sit down with the students in the future, Ducey said only that he would "continue to meet with people and listen to kids and teachers and folks from all over the state during the election cycle."

Problem solved?

Previous statements indicate Ducey feels he addressed school-shooting concerns with his "Safe Arizona Schools" proposal, crafted during the legislative session.

The bill, endorsed by the National Rifle Association, called for more police officers and mental-health counseling in schools; a school-safety tip line; and a new class of restraining order to restrict volatile individuals' access to guns. 

The plan failed to advance in the Legislature after taking hits from both parties.

Republicans said the proposal went too far, while Democrats said it didn't go far enough. Students with March for Our Lives slammed the bill as "51 pages of utter BS," arguing additional police officers were unnecessary and criticizing the governor's failure to require universal background checks.

But Ducey has vowed to try to get his plan passed again.

"Just as he did during the legislative session, Governor Ducey is traveling Arizona talking about his Safe (Arizona) Schools Plan," Ptak, the campaign spokesman, said in a statement. "…It's time to get it passed."

The March for Our Lives forum will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 6805 E. McDonald Drive in Paradise Valley. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. It is open to the public. 

READ MORE:

• Attacks against Arizona governor candidate David Garcia intensify as primary nears
• Why the battle for Arizona governor is being fought in your kid's classroom
• Republican candidates for Arizona governor answer this question: How do you win?
• Democratic candidates for Arizona governor answer this question: How do you win?