PHOENIX - The atmosphere for those who drink in bars could change if lawmakers give bar owners the ability to decide if guns would be allowed inside.

The Senate bill debated on yesterday would change existing law, which prohibits firearms in bars, to say firearms would be prohibited only when the bar owner posted a sign prohibiting firearms. That is to say, unless a sign is posted, guns are ok.

The catch is if the bill passes, anyone carrying a gun would not be allowed to drink while in the bar.

Senators made an effort to reverse the language to say guns would only be allowed in bars that hung a sign saying so, instead of posting when they were not allowed. That effort was knocked down along with an attempt at limiting the bill so it only applied to restaurants serving alcohol, not bars.

Sen. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale, said she had received overwhelming opposition to the bill from citizens in her district.

"I think that bars and guns don't mix," Allen said as she urged others not to vote for the bill, which she called "bad public policy."

Sen. Jack Harper, R-Sun City West, disagreed, saying he had not seen one letter to the editor in opposition to the bill. He said his impression was that citizens strongly supported upholding their second amendment rights.

Sen. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Tucson, said she saw no need to alter a law that has been in place for 20 years. Repeating Allen, Giffords also said, "guns and alcohol don't mix," and that the only supporter she had seen so far was the National Rifle Association.

With organizations such as the Arizona Tourism Alliance and the Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality association against the bill, Giffords said she supports the right of individuals to carry guns, just not into places that serve alcohol.

Two Senators who said they supported the bill provided real situations in which they thought having a gun would have made a citizen safer.

Sen. Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu, said when he lived in California, a man and his wife were leaving a restaurant when they were robbed at gunpoint and the man was killed.

"We need to bear in mind the need to protect law abiding citizens," and their ability to protect themselves, Gould said.

Sen. Linda Gray, R-Glendale, said her daughter was stalked when she attended Northern Arizona University and she would have preferred if her daughter would have been able to protect herself at all times by carrying a gun.

The bill, SB1363, passed the full Senate by a vote of 17 to 11 and now faces consideration in the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives has been considering a bill, HB2115, to suspend the license of anyone caught providing alcohol to underage drinkers, but the House knocked down an amendment yesterday that would also require kegs to be registered to the person buying them.

Rep. Ted Downing, D-Tucson, said he thought the keg registration would help stop underage drinking, which he said is easier when the alcohol is cheap.

He said keg registration goes hand-in-hand with the attempt to punish those who purchase alcohol for underage people.

"We should know what adult sold the keg to the kid," Downing said.

He said the rate of underage drinking is directly related to the cost of the alcohol, and kegs provide alcohol at 5 or 10 cents a cup, facilitating underage drinking.

"We have to take action," Downing said after pointing out underage drinking and driving is the leading cause of teenage death.

Rep. Linda Lopez, supported Downing's keg registration suggestion and said it would help the effort in Pima County to reduce underage drinking.

"This is one small piece that would assist in alleviating the problem," Lopez said.

The keg registration aspect of the bill failed but the driver's license suspension bill is expected to pass in upcoming weeks.