Arizona House Passes Bill Limiting Local Authority on Gun Shows, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Urge Governor Hobbs to Veto 

PHOENIX — The Arizona chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statement after lawmakers in the House passed SB 1189. The measure extends Arizona’s preemption law and restricts the power of local governments to prohibit gun shows from occurring in their cities or counties. A similar measure was vetoed last session by Governor Katie Hobbs. 

“Lawmakers want more gun shows in Arizona because they want more guns in Arizona,” said RJ Shannon, a volunteer with the Arizona chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Once again, extremist lawmakers have caved to the gun lobby’s demands, this time preventing local governments from keeping gun shows out of their communities, and for one terrifying reason: gun shows exploit loopholes in the law, allowing people to buy deadly weapons without a background check We urge Governor Hobbs to veto this and any extremist measure that fails to protect Arizona families from senseless acts of gun violence.” 

Under federal law, unlicensed private sellers such as gun shows are not required to perform a background check. Under this bill, sales at gun shows will remain unregulated – increasing the chance of a gun getting into the hands of those who wouldn’t pass a federal background check.

In an average year, 1,228 people die 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 eight states with the strongest gun safety laws—we could save 11,161 lives in the next decade. More information about gun violence in Arizona is available here. 

To speak with a policy expert or Moms Demand Action or Students Demand Action volunteer, please contact [email protected].