The Arizona Legislature’s two Second Amendment hawks achieved a major victory for their constituents’ freedoms.
Earlier this month, the Sedona City Council announced plans to reconstruct a local ordinance that had caught the ire of two Republican state legislators this fall, Representatives Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss. The news came after the lawmakers had taken their dispute to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office over the City of Sedona’s Ordinance 12.30.090, which prohibits individuals from carrying firearms on “any trail or open space area.”
Nguyen had previously written, “The City of Sedona has had ample time to address these concerns and has chosen not to act. We are left with no choice but to seek the Attorney General’s involvement to ensure the rule of law is followed.”
The letter to Mayes followed Representative Nguyen’s prior communication to Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow and city councilmembers over the ordinance. Nguyen had highlighted that the Ordinance’s prohibition “on carrying firearms is not consistent with Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3108,” thus making it “invalid and unenforceable because it exceeds what state law authorizes. He pointed out that “cities may…enact ordinances ‘[l]imiting or prohibiting the discharge of firearms in parks and preserves’ when certain statutory conditions are met.”
In a comment to another local publication, a City of Sedona spokeswoman said, “In the new ordinance, a person will be able to carry the firearm in the park but can’t discharge it unless in self-defense.” This ordinance is expected to be updated on December 10, at the next city council meeting.
Bliss responded to the announcement from the municipality, saying, “A message to cities and towns…don’t violate the rights of the people!”
A message to cities and towns . . . don't violate the rights of the people! https://t.co/vmDZU8ojAq
Nguyen and Bliss, two seatmates in a Yavapai County legislative district, have quickly proven themselves to be some of the top Second Amendment advocates in the state. Over the past two years, both lawmakers have won the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League for their protection of Second Amendment rights. They will look to continue their defense of Arizonans’ constitutional rights to keep and bear arms in the upcoming legislative session in yet another divided state government.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
Two Arizona Republican lawmakers are escalating their defense of the Second Amendment in a dispute of a local ordinance.
On Monday, State Representatives Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss announced that they had sent a letter to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over the City of Sedona’s Ordinance 12.30.090, which prohibits individuals from carrying firearms on “any trail or open space area.”
“The City of Sedona has had ample time to address these concerns and has chosen not to act. We are left with no choice but to seek the Attorney General’s… pic.twitter.com/krrM4fOUf3
In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Nguyen said, “The City of Sedona has had ample time to address these concerns and has chosen not to act. We are left with no choice but to seek the Attorney General’s involvement to ensure the rule of law is followed.”
I’m questioning the validity of the ordinance attempting to regulate firearms by the City of Sedona 👇👇👇 https://t.co/PSkRWV4X6E
The letter to Mayes follows Representative Nguyen’s prior communication to Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow and city councilmembers over the ordinance. Nguyen had highlighted that the Ordinance’s prohibition “on carrying firearms is not consistent with Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3108,” thus making it “invalid and unenforceable because it exceeds what state law authorizes. He pointed out that “cities may…enact ordinances ‘[l]imiting or prohibiting the discharge of firearms in parks and preserves’ when certain statutory conditions are met.”
The northern Arizona lawmaker requested that the city leaders “conduct a legal analysis of the validity of Ordinance 12.30.090 and contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss your findings and any next steps you intend to take to ensure that Ordinance 12.30.090 complies with state law.”
" . . . the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed"! https://t.co/mXFnUYp2nP
In their most recent communication over the issue, Representatives Nguyen and Bliss told the state’s attorney general that Sedona “has not responded to our letter and, to our knowledge, has not taken any actions to remedy the Ordinance’s legal flaws.” The lack of response or corrective action led the legislators to request that Mayes “review the question identified above and issue a written report within 30 days as required by [state law].” They added that if the Arizona Attorney General’s Office were to find a violation of state law, there should be a pursuit of special action in the state’s Supreme Court to resolve this matter.
Nguyen and Bliss, two seatmates in a Yavapai County legislative district, have quickly proven themselves to be some of the top Second Amendment advocates in the state. Over the past two years, both lawmakers have won the “Legislator of the Year” award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League for their protection of Second Amendment rights. They will look to continue their defense of Arizonans’ constitutional rights to keep and bear arms in the upcoming legislative session in yet another divided state government.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A rural Arizona legislator received an honor for his defense of a timeless right embedded in the Bill of Rights.
Earlier this month, State Representative Quang Nguyen, a Republican, received the 2024 “Legislator of the Year” award from the Arizona Citizens Defense League (AzCDL) for “his steadfast commitment to protecting Second Amendment rights.”
State Representative @QuangNguyenAZ Earns “Legislator of the Year” Award for Defense of Second Amendment
“I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Arizona Citizens Defense League. Protecting the Second Amendment is a responsibility I take seriously, and I will… pic.twitter.com/T7zUEl5O6p
In a statement accompanying his announcement of the award, Nguyen said, “I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Arizona Citizens Defense League. Protecting the Second Amendment is a responsibility I take seriously, and I will continue to stand with the citizens of Arizona to ensure their rights are not infringed upon. The AzCDL plays a vital role in protecting our constitutional freedoms of firearm owners across our state. I’m proud to work alongside this important organization in this ongoing effort to safeguard the liberties of all Arizonans.”
According to his press release, Representative Nguyen “plays a key role in advancing legislation that defends the rights of gun owners in Arizona, while blocking efforts aimed at undermining those protections.” Nguyen serves as the Chairman of the all-important House Judiciary Committee, where much of these proposals originate.
Last year, Nguyen’s seatmate, Representative Selina Bliss, earned the same award from the Second Amendment organization.
Demonstrating his watchful eyes over the Second Amendment rights of Arizonans, Nguyen recently sent a letter to municipal leaders in the City of Sedona, requesting that they review an ordinance dealing with firearms. He highlighted that the prohibition in the ordinance “on carrying firearms is not consistent with Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3108,” thus making it “invalid and unenforceable because it exceeds what state law authorizes.
Nguyen was previously named to “a select group of Republican legislators nationwide chosen for GOPAC’s 2024 Class of Emerging Leaders, an honor which recognizes a member’s strong sense of service, purpose, and effective leadership in the State Legislature.”
According to its website, AzCDL “is a non-profit 501(c)(4), all volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to the principles contained in Article II, Section 2 of the Arizona Constitution that ‘All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.’”
The organization’s goals for Arizona are as follows:
Freedom to Carry – Restore and protect the right of law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm openly or discreetly anywhere they have a right to be.
Fewer restrictions on the lawful carrying of firearms on public property (state and local government buildings, parks, etc.).
Restaurant Carry – The ability of law-abiding citizens to dine out while carrying a firearm.
Continued strengthening and preservation of the right of presumed innocence in self-defense situations.
Strong State Preemption – Firearms laws should be consistent throughout the State.
Liability responsibility for property owners who ban firearms.
Continued improvements to CCW laws.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
A Republican state legislator is standing up for the Second Amendment in a municipal matter.
Last week, State Representative Quang Nguyen transmitted a letter to Sedona Mayor Scott Jablow. The letter, which was also sent to city councilmembers, addressed the validity of Ordinance 12.30.090, which states that “[i]t shall be unlawful to carry or discharge into any park, trail, or open space area firearms or projectile weapons… or other device capable of causing injury to persons or animals or damage or destruction to property.”
State Representative @QuangNguyenAZ Raises Legal Concerns Over Sedona Firearms Ordinance
STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX (Tuesday, October 15, 2024) – Arizona State Representative Quang Nguyen, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a staunch defender of Second Amendment rights,… pic.twitter.com/zMtOc1daKw
In a press release accompanying the announcement of his letter, Nguyen said, “I urge the City of Sedona to review Ordinance 12.30.090 to ensure it complies with Arizona law. It’s important that local ordinances do not infringe upon the constitutional rights of Arizonans or conflict with state statutes.”
In his letter, Representative Nguyen highlighted that the prohibition in Sedona’s Ordinance “on carrying firearms is not consistent with Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3108,” thus making it “invalid and unenforceable because it exceeds what state law authorizes. He pointed out that “cities may…enact ordinances ‘[l]imiting or prohibiting the discharge of firearms in parks and preserves’ when certain statutory conditions are met.”
The northern Arizona lawmaker requested that the city leaders “conduct a legal analysis of the validity of Ordinance 12.30.090 and contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss your findings and any next steps you intend to take to ensure that Ordinance 12.30.090 complies with state law.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
When tragedy strikes, politicians often rush to draft new laws to show that they are taking action in the wake of public outcry. But in the haste to “do something,” proposed solutions can actually have the opposite effect and make us less safe. They limit the ability of law-abiding citizens to defend themselves and their loved ones and embolden criminals. Even worse, these knee-jerk legislative “fixes” are not only ineffective but dangerous.
New data continues to confirm what many of us have known for years: gun control doesn’t work. According to a recent study at the Duke University School of Medicine, which examined the impact of 36 different gun control laws on suicide and homicide rates involving children under the age of 18, there are “no significant reductions in suicide death rates in states with laws setting a minimum age for possession or purchase of firearms.”
Even in states with enhanced regulations for background checks, mandatory waiting periods, safe storage mandates, and Red Flag laws, researchers could not find “notable distinctions between states with and without the identified laws” when it came to deaths by homicide.
We have also seen data that affirms my deeply held belief that firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens can save lives. Colorado State University Professor Youngsung Kim and K. Alexander Adams from the University of Wyoming’s Firearms Research Center analyzed crime statistics from all 50 states plus the District of Columbia between 1980 and 2018, finding that states with constitutional carry laws have a 6 percent lower homicide rate. They concluded by stating “Constitutional Carry does not lead to large-scale changes in homicides or firearm suicides. The doomsday scenarios of constitutional-carry opponents are not supported by social science.”
While restrictive gun control measures are clearly not the answer to curbing violence and keeping our families safe, we know that inaction yields the same result. That’s why I’m proud to be a part of Women for Gun Rights, a national, non-partisan organization that is working to safeguard the Second Amendment. We fundamentally believe that education – not legislation – is the key to a safer, stronger, more prosperous future.
Since our founding, we have sponsored firearms training classes for women and educators, advocated for programs like FASTER to protect children in the classroom, supported hunting education, testified in Congress and State Houses across the country in opposition of harmful legislation, and amplified the stories of women whose lives were saved by the Second Amendment.
During times of crisis, it is tempting to expect our leaders to enact immediate solutions and broad reforms without considering the long-term, unintended consequences. In these situations, data and research – coupled with some common sense – should drive the conversation instead of impulsive legislation written only to appease the vocal anti-gun crowd.
If we really want to protect our loved ones, we need policy decisions to reflect the facts – not political agendas.
