A bill that has already been approved by the state Senate would prohibit municipalities in Arizona from banning gun shows. One of his supporters of the bill warned that even if the bill does not become law, it could “make life uncomfortable” for local governments that choose to enact it.
Bob Templeton, owner of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows, Senate Bill 1428told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that his show and others have been denied the use of city- or county-owned facilities to host gun shows.
Crossroads of the West will host its newest Arizona show on March 4th and 5th, and for the rest of the year will be showing in the Valley and Tucson, including the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson and the Arizona State Fairgrounds in Phoenix. We are planning to do a lot of shows.
Republican Congressman Cory McGar of Marana said local governments cannot violate the Second Amendment rights of Arizonas.
“People own the facility,” he said of municipally owned venues.
But Phoenix Democratic Rep. Annalize Ortiz countered that cities and local governments should have discretion to decide what types of businesses use their facilities, especially when there are safety concerns. .
Rex Scott, Democratic vice chairman of the Pima County Supervisory Commission, told the Mirror that the commission has no plans to ban gun shows in the county, but some members have expressed interest in crossroads. Private sellers of the show said they were concerned about not having to conduct background checks on buyers during the sale that took place at the Pima County Fairgrounds.
These concerns prompted the Pima County Board of Supervisors to vote last year asking Congress to repeal the existing law. State Law
This bans local gun laws that are stricter than state laws. The commission also approved a resolution last year directing county attorneys’ offices to address legal challenges to state law. Scott said the county has yet to pursue a challenge as it waits for legal action in other states to roll out.
Templeton told the House Judiciary Committee that gun shows are prohibited at the Tucson Convention Center and Scottsdale’s Westworld declined requests from gun show operators as “not appropriate” for the venue. rice field.
The city of Scottsdale develops and operates Westworld, but the venue is built on federal land, city spokeswoman Holly Walter told The Mirror. Walter said it is using the land on which Westworld is located through an agreement with the U.S. Reclamation Service that prohibits its use.
The city of Tucson hasn’t outright banned gun shows at the convention center, but the restrictions have forced show operators to move to other venues.
2013 Tucson voted to request
— as part of the lease agreement — background checks on all gun sales that take place during shows at the Center. Background checks are already required for federally licensed dealers, but are not required for private sellers. Tucson added another provision in 2016, banning the sale of weapons capable of firing more than 10 shots at his venue.
In response to the bill and supporters’ criticism of Tucson, Mayor Regina Romero said legislators should shift their focus to other issues.
“Legislators must focus on funding public education, finding affordable housing solutions, ensuring water safety, and working with cities and towns across the state to keep communities safe. “Arizonans want solutions, not imagined or divisive problems that don’t align with our values,” Romero said in a statement.
Cheryl Todd, Arizona director of the DC Project, a group of women dedicated to protecting the right to bear arms, and owner of a small gun-selling business, told the commission: “The ugliness of discrimination is still alive,” he said. Owner of a gun sales business.
“It’s been my personal experience that some people actually believe that discrimination is totally fine when it’s based on political ideology,” Todd said, adding that gun sales businesses are often ” I am despised,” he added.
Todd told the commission she supported the bill to keep the municipality from telling her to “know where I am and stay where I belong.”
Anti-gun groups lobbied Pima County to cancel gun shows at the Pima County Fairgrounds, but the county attorney’s office instructed the prefectural government
Last year, he said it had “little authority” to stop the Southwestern Fair Commission, which runs the venue, from allowing gun shows at the venue.
Scott thanked Crossroads for its willingness to work with the county to allow the county attorney’s office to distribute gun locks at shows and share safety measures that gun owners can implement in their homes. Crossroads also makes efforts to identify and discourage unpopular buyers from buying firearms at the show, he added.
Scottsdale Republican Rep. Alexander Collodin said that even if Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs rejected the bill, the Republicans, who have a small majority in the legislature, would still control the state budget. It warned local governments that might consider banning gun shows.
“We encourage local governments that are considering imposing restrictions of this kind, or that are considering putting pressure on venues, directly or indirectly, to reduce their right to bear and bear arms. Please remember that we can make your life very difficult.
The bill passed the Judiciary Committee in a 5-3 vote, in line with the party’s line. Next, we will move on to deliberations at the plenary session of the House of Representatives.
