Arizona Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Respond as Senate Judiciary Committee Passes ‘Nullification’ Legislation to Undermine Future Gun Safety Laws

The Arizona chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety, released the following statement after the Arizona Senate Judiciary committee passed SB 1125, legislation which would attempt to expand the scope of nullification of future gun safety laws. This legislation comes just one year after Governor Ducey and lawmakers ignored the pleas of gun violence survivors and law enforcement officers and passed legislation that already sweepingly nullifies federal gun laws. 

“It’s time for our lawmakers to wake up to the public health crisis ravaging our state,” said Anvitha Doddipalli, a volunteer with Students Demand Action in Arizona. “Arizona already has some of the weakest gun laws in the country, and this bill would only contribute to that embarrassing legacy. Lawmakers should focus on preventing gun violence in the state by disarming domestic abusers – rather than playing politics and risking lives with this reckless legislation.”

Arizona lawmakers are pushing this dangerous legislation and others – including legislation forcing guns on campuses and into public events like sporting events or demonstrations – while ignoring a life-saving bill to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Arizonans overwhelmingly support domestic violence legislation and polling found that Arizonans overwhelmingly support stronger gun laws by an 8:1 margin – including a bill to disarm domestic abusers.

Statistics about gun violence in Arizona are available here, and Everytown’s interactive gun law platform — which shows the direct correlation between the strength of a state’s gun laws and its rate of gun deaths — is available here. If you have questions, or to request an interview with a volunteer from Arizona Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action, please don’t hesitate to reach out.