Senators Sinema, Kelly Announce Gun Control Effort Alongside 10 Republicans

Senators Sinema, Kelly Announce Gun Control Effort Alongside 10 Republicans

By Corinne Murdock |

On Sunday, Arizona’s two Democratic senators announced a sweeping gun control proposal to curb gun ownership of the mentally ill and domestic abusers, as well as expand mental health and school safety programs. 

The proposal hasn’t been introduced as formal legislation, let alone a formal, standalone document. It proposes to prevent court-ruled dangers to the public from obtaining firearms; expand community behavioral health centers, mental health and suicide prevention programs in communities, schools, and telehealth networks, and other similar community support services; add convicted domestic violence abusers and those with domestic violence restraining orders to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS); increase funding for K-12 school safety programs and training; increase punishment for evading firearm dealer licensing requirements and for illegal straw purchasing and trafficking; and require juvenile and mental health background checks for firearm buyers under 21 years old. 

The legislation is a bipartisan effort, with 10 senators from each party issuing support. Republican senators who signed on were Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rob Portman (R-OH), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Mitt Romney (R-UT). 

Democrats who signed onto the proposal were Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Joe Manchin (D-WV).

One independent, Senator Angus King (I-ME), agreed to the proposal. 

This latest gun control proposal comes less than three weeks after the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. 

In a statement, President Joe Biden commended Sinema for the legislation specifically, along with Cornyn and Tillis.

“Obviously, it does not do everything I think is needed, but it reflects important steps in the right direction, and would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades,” stated Biden. “Each day that passes, more children are killed in this country: the sooner it comes to my desk, the sooner I can sign it, and the sooner we can use these measures to save lives.”

According to the CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) latest data, there were over 45,200 total firearm deaths in 2020. Nearly 24,300 of those deaths were suicides, nearly 19,400 were homicides, just over 600 were legal intervention, and 535 were unintentional. 400 firearm deaths had an undetermined intent. 

A vast majority of the firearm deaths occurred in males: nearly 39,000 versus just over 6,200 females. As for race, about twice the number of white men were killed by firearms in 2020 over black men. 21,000 of the men who died were white, non-Hispanic males; over 12,500 were Black, non-Hispanic males; and just under 4,200 were white Hispanic males. 

Just under 3,900 of the women who died were white, non-Hispanic females; nearly 1,600 were Black, non-Hispanic females; and over 500 were white Hispanic females.

Blue counties accounted for the top ten highest firearm death rates of all counties in the country. They’ve been ranked below from the greatest to least number of homicides.

  • Cook County, Illinois: 82 percent were homicides, or 862 out of 1040 deaths; Biden won with over 74 percent of the vote in the 2020 presidential election.
  • Los Angeles County, California: over 62 percent, or 524 of 837 deaths; Biden won with 71 percent of the vote.
  • Harris County, Texas: over 61 percent were homicides, or 475 of 773 deaths; Biden won with over 56 percent of the vote. 
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: over 84 percent were homicides, or 453 of 538 deaths; Biden won with over 81 percent of the vote. 
  • Wayne County, Michigan: over 75 percent were homicides, or 344 of 458 deaths; Biden won with over 68 percent of the vote.
  • Dallas County, Texas: nearly 61 percent were homicides, or 251 of 412 deaths; Biden won with over 65 percent of the vote.
  • Maricopa County, Arizona: over 35 percent were homicides, or 249 of 702 deaths; Biden won with over 50 percent of the vote.
  • Marion County, Indiana: 69 percent were homicides, or 219 of 317 deaths; Biden won with nearly 64 percent of the vote.
  • Miami-Dade County, Florida: 64 percent were homicides, or 208 of 325 deaths; Biden won with over 53 percent of the vote.
  • Tarrant County, Texas: over 45 percent were homicides, or 140 of 309 deaths; Biden won with over 49 percent of the vote. 

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Governor Ducey Announced COVID Positive Hours Before Border Tour With Pence

Governor Ducey Announced COVID Positive Hours Before Border Tour With Pence

By Corinne Murdock |

Hours before a scheduled appearance on Monday with former Vice President Mike Pence, Governor Doug Ducey’s office announced that he’d tested positive for COVID-19. Ducey’s communications director, C.J. Karamargin, told KTAR News that the governor was asymptomatic and “feeling well.”

Originally, Ducey was to accompany Pence on a tour of the southern border, followed by attendance at a border security speech by the former vice president at the Arizona Commerce Authority in Phoenix.

During his speech, Pence argued that the Biden administration was exacerbating the border crisis. 

“[This border crisis] can be ended almost overnight, if President Biden will just put back the policies the Trump-Pence administration put into effect that reduced illegal immigration by 90 percent,” said Pence. 

Pence also lauded Ducey for his leadership and wished him a speedy recovery from COVID-19. In April, the governor coordinated with half of the country’s governors to launch a strike force modeled after his 2015 state-level initiative to address the border crisis.

“Let me say: how fortunate the people of Arizona are to have a leader so principled and devoted to securing the border and keeping our families and our neighborhoods safe,” said Pence.

Among those that met with Pence on Monday were Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels and his department, along with Arizona Department of Homeland Security Director Tim Roemer.

According to the latest Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data, there have been nearly 1.3 million border encounters since last October. 

The Biden administration’s attempt to rescind Title 42, policy under former President Donald Trump to expedite expulsion of illegal immigrants, failed last month. The program was slated to end on May 23, but a federal court in Louisiana issued a temporary restraining order preventing the Biden administration from ending the policy. 

Ducey contracted the virus despite being fully vaccinated and boosted; he has advertised the vaccine as “safe, effective, and free” repeatedly.

Ducey credited the senior advisor on the pandemic and lead for statewide vaccination efforts, Dr. Richard Carmona, for ensuring that the vaccine was the best tool to fight COVID-19. As AZ Free News reported, Carmona serves on the board of directors for a major distributor of the COVID-19 vaccine, McKesson.

From home, Ducey provided commentary on the former vice president’s visit.

Favorability polls conducted last week through YouGovPolitico, and Harris indicated that voters largely had an unfavorable view of the former vice president. The latest polling for 2024 presidential picks reflected that Pence falls behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with or without former President Donald Trump in the running.

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Arizona to Have Statewide Network of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Arizona to Have Statewide Network of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

By Corinne Murdock |

This summer, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will develop a statewide network of electric vehicle charging stations. The state anticipates receiving $76.5 million in federal dollars for the project, funding courtesy of the $5 billion set aside for states through the Biden administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.

ADOT announced the plans in a press release last Thursday. The initial roadmap for electric vehicle charging stations follows along the international highways running through the state, or “federally-designated corridors”: the I-8, I-10, I-17, and I-40. There’s also a proposed charging corridor for the I-19 connecting Mexico and Tucson. 

At present, ADOT is seeking public input and plans to submit an initial plan in August.

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced new standards for the NEVI Formula Program. They said that the need for the standards arose from concerns over electric vehicles’ limited range on a full charge, what they called “range anxiety,” and the possibility of few and far between charging stations, or “vehicle charging deserts.”

Arizona officials are moving ahead despite widespread bipartisan concern that only the wealthy can afford to buy electric. That’s reflected further by past recipients of tax credits for electric vehicles: nearly 80 percent were those making over $100,000. 

Additionally, critics point out that tax credits aren’t immediate relief but function to alleviate the additional financial burden on the back end. Bloomberg estimated in March that less than 15 percent of Americans could afford to buy electric.  

On the low or “mainstream” end, new electric cars cost between $27,000 and $32,000. Those more affordable models come with a lower range: about 150 to just under 230 miles for the cheapest option, and just under 260 for the high end. 

Luxury models with higher ranges cost much more. The low end just under $47,000 comes with a range of just over 270 miles to just under 360 miles. The highest range of just over 400 to 520 miles comes with a $77,400 price tag — a down payment of about $15,500. The 2020 census reported that the median household income in Arizona is about $61,500. 

By contrast, gas vehicles cover the same distance as high-end luxury electric models at a much cheaper cost than low-end mainstream electric cars. At just over $20,600, the Nissan Sentra can travel just over 400 miles on one tank. That’s about $5,000 more than the average down payment needed for an electric vehicle of comparable range — the Nissan Sentra down payment would be over $4,100.

There’s even challenges to the claims of electric vehicles’ range. Forbes reported that multiple years of road testing electric vehicles showed that marketed range fell short of actual range — an average of 20 percent less.  

Arizonans’ buying power falls further in light of the reality that the median income will cover increasingly less. Arizona families are paying over $500 more a month in household costs due to inflation. In Phoenix, inflation spiked recently to 11 percent. 

Yet, major cities are launching their own electric vehicle infrastructure initiatives as well. In addition to ADOT, the city of Phoenix announced last month its draft roadmap for widespread electric vehicle use. Phoenix leadership anticipated that up to 280,000 electric vehicles would be in the area within the next decade. Part of their initiative includes switching city vehicles to electric, establishing electric vehicle charging stations for the city and its employees, and updating the zoning ordinance and building codes by 2025 to standardize electric vehicle charging access. 

Additionally, Tucson City Council enacted a policy last summer requiring electric vehicle charging outlets on all new constructions of one- and two-family dwellings. The city is now attempting to enact a similar requirement for apartments and commercial development. The community is embroiled in controversy over city leadership’s efforts. 

Their state senator, Minority Whip Victoria Steele, attempted to pass similar legislation this session. That bill never made it to the Senate floor for a final vote, though it did pass out of committee. 

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Inflation Crisis in Arizona at Historic Worst, Phoenix Most Impacted

Inflation Crisis in Arizona at Historic Worst, Phoenix Most Impacted

By Corinne Murdock |

President Joe Biden’s skyrocketing, 40-year-high inflation levels have resonated with a historic worst for Arizona. Arizona households are spending an average of nearly $6,000 more on household necessities since the 2020 election. 

According to the most recent report from the Common Sense Institute, a Phoenix-based research nonprofit, Phoenix inflation prices rose over eight percent in one year. The metropolitan area reached 11 percent price inflation, nearly three points higher than the nation’s average. 

The institute noted that the current rate of increasing inflation would cause the cost of living in Phoenix to be higher than San Francisco’s cost of living by 2034. 

Additionally, the cost of rent and housing grew by nearly 15 percent over the last year. The pandemic marked a record-high for the number of those moving to Arizona. 

Yet, Biden declared that the last year marked positive changes lending to a “historically strong” economic foundation that would result in a decline in inflation. 

Governor Doug Ducey blasted Biden’s handling of inflation as a “disaster,” noting that Arizona families were paying an average of over $500 a month more in household costs. 

In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece succeeding Memorial Day, Biden blamed inflation on Russia President Vladimir Putin. Biden said that Putin’s warring impacted the energy market and supply chain. The president alluded to heavier intervention in the Russia-Ukraine war, with more aggression toward Russia, to uplift the flagging economy.

“We can’t let up on our global effort to punish Mr. Putin for what he’s done, and we must mitigate these effects for American consumers,” said Biden.

The president explained that the federal government would build a million more affordable housing units, and proposed using Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies. He also proposed recouping lost tax revenue from companies established overseas who benefit from international tax policies, and claimed that billionaires pay lower tax rates than working-class individuals like teachers or firefighters. 

Biden also claimed that the job market was the strongest since World War II, though he didn’t distinguish between new jobs and those restored after the pandemic layoffs. 

The president relied on the “kitchen table” illustration again to empathize with Americans’ struggles. (For context: there are over 40 speeches from Biden on the White House’s website in which he’s used the “kitchen table” illustration; it is unclear whether his speech writer has a penchant for kitchen tables or whether the term is meant to serve as a touchstone concept, but former first lady Hillary Clinton is credited for popularizing the term within the Democratic Party in the 1990s). 

Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs has picked up on the “kitchen table” illustration, though she hasn’t denounced the Biden administration’s handling of inflation.

Instead, Hobbs blamed Ducey and the Republican-controlled state legislature for not doing more to curb inflation. She insisted that her plan — Affordable Arizona — would mitigate inflation. 

Biden has denounced one specific plan from across the aisle by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL): a “12 Point Plan to Rescue America.”

Earlier this month, the president reiterated that the plan to bring down inflation consisted of taking a hands-off approach with the Federal Reserve. He then listed two end goals — lowering the cost of living and reducing the deficit — as part of the plan, without elaborating further. 

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.

Arizona Aggregate Gross Income, Population Grew From Those Fleeing High-Tax States

Arizona Aggregate Gross Income, Population Grew From Those Fleeing High-Tax States

By Corinne Murdock |

The latest Internal Revenue Service (IRS) migration report revealed that Arizona gained about $4.8 billion aggregate adjusted gross income.

Over 247,600 were reported migrating into Arizona from all 50 states. Nearly 63,100 from California, over 15,700 from Texas, over 15,000 from Washington, nearly 12,800 from Colorado, and over 12,500 from Illinois. 

During the same period, the state lost over 169,400 individuals: over 25,300 to California, over 16,500 to Texas, nearly 9,000 to Colorado, over 8,800 to Washington, and over 7,600 to Florida. 

Based on the latest IRS data, the Wall Street Journal editorial board discovered a pattern: high-tax states lost the most aggregate adjusted gross income. The majority of those states were blue, with Ohio being the exception.

New York lost $19.5 billion, California lost $17.8 billion, Illinois lost $8.5 billion, Massachusetts lost $2.6 billion, New Jersey lost $2.3 billion, Maryland lost $1.9 billion, Ohio lost $1.4 billion, Minnesota lost $1.2 billion, Pennsylvania lost $1.2 billion, and Virginia lost $1.1 billion.

California has the highest individual income tax rate in the nation at over 13 percent, followed by New York at nearly 11 percent, and New Jersey and Washington, D.C. at 10.75 percent. 

They noted that Florida gained $23.7 billion, Texas gained $6.3 billion, North Carolina gained $3.6 billion, Tennessee and Nevada gained $2.6 billion, Colorado gained $2.3 billion, Idaho gained $2.1 billion, and Utah gained $1.3 billion. 

Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and Nevada don’t have an income tax. North Carolina, Colorado, and Utah have flat income tax. Idaho has a graduated-rate income tax. 

Arizona’s graduated income tax rate ranges from those individuals making up to about $27,800 at 2.59 percent to those making between $166,800 to $250,000 at 4.5 percent. Those making over $250,000 pay one percent of their taxable income, plus just over $10,000 and a 3.5 percent surcharge. 

Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.