Republicans Preemptively Shoot Down Mayes Red Flag Law Pitch

by Cameron Arcand

 

Attorney General Kris Mayes wants to propose red flag laws, but Republican lawmakers say it will not stand a chance in the Legislature.

The laws Mayes wants would be targeted toward those who would be determined to be a risk to the safety of schools, according to Arizona’s Family. The report said that Mayes would be proposing legislation that would also allow firearms belonging to adults could be targeted if there is evidence that a minor in their household poses a risk of misusing those weapons.

“At a minimum we must be able to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who threaten our schools and universities,” Mayes said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter. “Next session, I plan to propose legislation for Education Protection Orders that would do just that.”

Red flag laws allow people or authorities to ask the court to no longer allow someone to be in possession of firearms if they believe the individual will not be using them responsibly.

However, the attorney general’s idea would have to make it through the narrow Republican-majority Legislature in order to ultimately get a bill to Gov. Katie Hobbs, also a Democrat. Republicans were quick to shoot the policy proposal down, as many conservatives argue that the concept could infringe on Second Amendment rights.

Speaker Pro Tempore Travis Grantham hinted that the bill would be killed if it made it to him.

“That is gonna have a really hard time in my rules committee…[hashtag Dead on Arrival],” Grantham posted.

State Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, suggested that it could even be considered grounds for impeachment.

“And if she tries, it will be an opportunity for the Legislature to push for #Impeachment on Kris Mayes! #DOA#2A,” he posted. 

The legislative session will start again in January, in which this proposal and many others will either make it to the governor’s desk or be shot down somewhere in the lawmaking process. 

According to a United States Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences report, the 2021-22 school year had 188 school shootings in the nation with casualties. 

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Cameron Arcand is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Shooting Range” by ChattOconeeNF CC2.0.