In 2023 and 2024, Governor Katie Hobbs Vetoed Similar Measures Aimed at Legalizing Silencers and Forcing College Campuses to Allow Concealed Carry of Firearms
PHOENIX — Today, the Arizona chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after the Arizona legislature passed SB 1014 and SB 1020.
SB 1014 would repeal the state’s gun silencer prohibition. Silencers make it harder for bystanders or law enforcement to identify and react quickly to gunshots – making it harder for first responders to save lives. In 2023, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a similar bill, you can read her veto letter here. SB 1020 seeks to force Arizona universities, colleges and community colleges to let anyone with a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed gun on campus – including in classrooms, dorms, and at sporting events.
“It seems absurd and reckless that lawmakers are not trying to end gun violence, but to literally quiet it. We should be making our communities safer, not silencing the warning signs,” said RJ Shannon, a volunteer with the Arizona chapter of Moms Demand Action. “When we hear gunshots – we know to run, hide and protect others – this bill would take away our ability to alert authorities and save lives. In addition, Arizona universities attract world-class talent and our students deserve to learn in a productive and safe environment. Bringing guns to campus grounds will only do the opposite. We urge Governor Hobbs to veto these reckless bills.”
“These bills make absolutely zero sense when it comes to keeping us safe from gun violence,” said Nihar Bhave, a volunteer with the Arizona Students Demand Action chapter. “As someone who was exposed to gun violence at a young age, the idea that shootings will be even harder to detect and evade because of silencers is terrifying. Lawmakers who support these bills should be ashamed of themselves.They’ve betrayed Arizonans and we deserve far better than politicians who refuse to keep us safe.”
Over 9,130 silencer and silencer parts were recovered by the ATF from 2017 to 2021—a 177% increase compared to the previous five-year period. Between May 2021 and July 2024, a mere three-year span, Americans accumulated nearly as many silencers as were registered in the previous 87 years.
Silencers are not a “hearing protection” issue. The gun lobby claims their efforts are intended to protect hunters’ hearing, but silencers are not the most effective or the safest way to do so. It’s not public health that would benefit from this policy, it’s the silencer market—one of the fastest-growing sectors within the firearm industry.
Everytown’s analysis found that Arizona’s gun laws are the 8th weakest in the country. In an average year, 1,344 people die and 2,125 are wounded by guns in Arizona. Gun violence costs Arizona $15.9 billion each year, of which $253.2 million is paid by taxpayers.
If Arizona had the gun death rate of our National Leaders—the nine states with the strongest gun safety laws—we could save 11,085 lives in the next decade. More information about gun violence in Arizona is available here.