Yesterday, Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts penned a piece calling out the Arizona legislature for continuing to fast-track dangerous nullification bills such as HB 2111 and SB 1328 in the wake of two tragic mass shootings. Arizona already has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, and under a nullification law Arizona law enforcement officers would be discouraged from assisting federal authorities in enforcing federal gun safety laws, making it even harder to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
Lawmakers are also pushing a dangerous and expensive bill, HB 2551, to force guns in public spaces like concerts, recreation centers, children’s events, parades, and libraries. Meanwhile, HB 2583, a bill to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers has not received a single hearing all session.
Roberts writes [emphasis added]:
“The [nullification legislation] is, of course, a ridiculous overreaction by a bunch of politicians and their supporters who apparently lay awake nights worrying that Biden’s goons soon will be knocking down their doors to seize their arsenals.
They apparently forget that no president, no Congress – not even the Arizona Legislature, should it be so inclined (which it isn’t) – can take away your Second Amendment right to bear arms.
The U.S. Supreme Court has said so. But in writing that landmark 2008 decision, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia also noted this: “Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited.”
…
Except, apparently, in Arizona, if the Legislature has anything to say about it.”
Read the full piece here. To learn more about what lawmakers can do to prevent gun violence in Arizona, please don’t hesitate to reach out.