One Job Ends, More Begin
Legislation
There’s no doubt, legislative sessions are the “busy season” for AzCDL, particularly for the folks that work at the Capitol. Our lobbyists meet with legislators long before the session begins, help draft proposed legislation to advance the right to keep and bear arms, and work with legislators to find those willing to sponsor and support those bills.
We analyze the thousands of bills introduced each year to identify those that would impair our rights so we can make sure they die at some point in the legislative process (because we know that our virulently anti-gun governor will sign into law any of them that make it to her desk).
This year, 29 bills that would roll back your right to arms were introduced but, along with our friends in the legislature, we made sure that every one of them failed.
As the session progresses, we meet with legislators to drum up support for good bills and get them to oppose the bad ones. We attend committee hearings and encourage you, our citizen activists, to join us there. We are always on guard for strike-all amendments which can turn a gun-friendly bill into a nightmare (or vice versa) in an instant.
After bills pass through the floor reads and committees of the whole, they are sent to the other chamber (house bills go to the senate and senate bills go to the house) where the entire process starts all over again. And we are there for all of it.
As we approach the end of this session, it may seem as though we can relax a bit and take a breather, but that is far from the truth.
AzCDLPAC
One of the most important things we have on our side is a state legislature that is friendly to gun owners. That doesn’t happen by accident and it’s not by a large margin. That’s where the AzCDLPAC comes in. The PAC’s job is to help pro-rights candidates get elected in order to maintain a majority in the legislature that supports the rights of gun owners.
You can help in that effort. Please see the article by Chris Knox on page 4 where he describes the PAC’s mission, methods, and importance. Just as AzCDL is a force of nature at the Capitol, AzCDLPAC will become one at the voting booth, with your support.
Out in the Real World
Few of us spend our days at the state Capitol because we live in the real world. The real world is where the effects of the laws we pass are experienced by firearm owners. Those effects are influenced by the actions of the state’s political subdivisions—cities, counties, school boards, regional governments and the like. How state laws are carried out and the impact of local ordinances makes a big difference in our day-to-day lives.
When AzCDL is not working for you at the legislature, we’re out in the real world, too.
Around the state there are cities and counties that have anti-rights statutes on the books that violate Arizona’s strong preemption statutes. AzCDL is very proud of the role we played in getting preemption on the books but now we have to make sure it is enforced.
We pore over statutes in locales around the state to identify those that conflict with state firearms laws. In some cases, merely notifying a town council or county board of supervisors is enough to get changes made but, in others, it’s necessary to push harder and, occasionally, even bring law suits to bear. See Michael Infanzon’s Copper Dome Update on page 3 for more information on how we keep working for you year ‘round.
All of this is possible only with your support. If you are able to, please make a donation today to keep us doing the good work for Arizona firearms owners.
—Michael Gibbs
AzCDL President
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Anti-Rights Legislators Come After Your Guns—Again
Yes, it CAN happen here. Every session, legislators that oppose your right to keep and bear arms go all-out to rescind or interfere with that right. And every legislative session, AzCDL is there to stop them. In 2026, no fewer than 29 bills that infringe or impair your rights were introduced and we helped kill every single one of them.
Here is a look at some of the ways these folks tried to impair your rights this year.
HB 2282, Education protection orders; definitions
Creates ex parte and post hearing “education protection orders” that restrain a respondent from coming near educational institutions and prohibit firearm possession and require firearm transfer to law enforcement, including via telephone issued emergency orders during court closure hours. It also authorizes search warrants to seize firearms and adds persons served those orders to Arizona’s “prohibited possessor” definition.
Sponsor: Stacey Travers (D)
HB 2291, Voluntary prohibited possessor; definition
Establishes a voluntary prohibited possessor list allowing individuals to restrict their own firearm purchase and possession rights for up to 180 days. Yes, really!
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2354, Prohibited weapon; bump-fire device; accessory
Classifies bump-fire devices, trigger cranks, and any parts or accessories designed to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle as prohibited weapons.
Sponsor: Quantá Crews (D)
Co-Sponsor(s): Patty Contreras (D), Brian Garcia (D), Sarah Liguori (D), Stacey Travers (D), Betty Villegas (D)
HB 2419, Firearm sales; permit validation; website
Calls for a secure website portal to be maintained by the Arizona DPS to allow federally licensed firearms dealers to verify the validity of concealed weapons permits.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2420, Firearm sales; transfers; background checks
Mandates all transactions be conducted through licensed firearms dealers who perform background checks except for law enforcement, military personnel, gunsmiths, certain temporary loans, antique firearms, and bona fide gifts between immediate family members.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
Co-Sponsor(s): Cesar Aguilar (D)
HB 2421, Assault weapons; magazines; prohibition; registration
Bans assault weapons and large capacity magazines with exceptions for government and law enforcement use. Existing owners must register and renew annually, while inheriting such weapons requires surrender, destruction, or transfer within 90 days.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2422, Weapons; permit; firearms safety training
Makes concealed carry of a deadly weapon unlawful without a DPS-issued permit and adds an eight-hour, pass/fail, DPS-authorized firearms safety training requirement with defined curriculum.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2570, Firearms; sales; regulation
Imposes regulations on firearm dealers, including mandatory state permits, background checks for employees, secure storage, video surveillance, and reporting requirements for sales and transfers. Establishes strict prohibitions on straw purchases and limits firearm sales to one per 30 days per person with a 7-day waiting period.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2571, Prohibited weapons; machine guns
Defines a “machine gun” including frames or receivers and conversion parts or combinations of parts.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
HB 2578, Failure to secure weapon; minor
“Christian’s Law” make it a crime to fail to secure firearms from minors (class 6 felony if a minor accesses an unsecured firearm and a class 4 felony if the minor discharges the firearm causing death or serious injury).
Sponsor: Nancy Gutierrez (D)
Co-Sponsor(s): Nearly two dozen.
HB 2865, Prohibited possessor; definition
“Jordan’s Law” expands the definition of “prohibited possessor” to include individuals convicted of domestic violence against children or certain protected persons.
Sponsor: Lydia Hernandez (D)
Co-Sponsor(s): Myron Tsosie (D)
HCR 2019, Firearm sales; transfers; background checks
Voter referendum to require nearly all firearm transfers to be conducted through an FFL, with background check. Because the proposal is structured as a referendum, it bypasses the Governor’s veto authority and would become law upon voter approval.
Sponsor: Aaron Márquez (D)
Co-Sponsor(s): Cesar Aguilar (D)
HB 2925, Prohibited possessor; interference; judicial proceedings
Amends the definition of “prohibited possessor” to include any person convicted of interfering with judicial proceedings pursuant to section 13-2810(A)(2) for violating the terms of an order of protection issued pursuant to section 13-3602.
Sponsor:Consuelo Hernandez (D)
SB 1643, Firearms; sales; regulation
Requires firearm dealers to obtain an annual state permit from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (ADPS), conduct employee background checks and annual training. Mandates a seven-day waiting period and background check for all firearm sales and transfers, limits individuals to one firearm purchase per 30-day period.
Sponsor:Flavio Bravo (D)
HR 2005, Gun violence; public health crisis
The Arizona House of Representatives declare gun violence to be a public health crisis in Arizona.
Sponsor:Mariana Sandoval (D)
SB 1231, Firearms; mandatory destruction; criminal offenses
Requires courts, upon conviction for any offense in which a firearm was used, to order the firearm forfeited to the city, town, or county where the offense occurred and mandates destruction of the firearm.
Sponsor:Brian Fernandez (D)
SB 1079, Firearms; mandatory destruction; homicides
Requires law enforcement agencies to destroy any firearm used in a homicide. Mandates courts to order the forfeiture and destruction of firearms used in homicides upon conviction.
Sponsor:John Kavanagh (R)
HB 2815, Misconduct involving weapons; elected officials
Specifies that the prohibition on carrying a deadly weapon into a public establishment or public event after a reasonable request to remove the weapon applies to state elected officials.
Sponsor:Junelle Cavero (D)
SB 1028, Firearms; homicide; mandatory destruction
Mandates the forfeiture and destruction or proper disposal of firearms used in homicides upon conviction. It requires courts to order forfeiture and sale or destruction of deadly weapons, dangerous instruments, or explosives used in felonies, except when prohibited by law.
Sponsor:John Kavanagh (R)
SB 1359, Firearms; destruction by state
Permits the State of Arizona, any agency, political subdivision, or law enforcement agency to destroy or facilitate the destruction of firearms, ammunition, or related components and accessories.
Sponsor:Lauren Kuby (D)
HB 4127, Firearm transfers; offenses; domestic violence
“Jordin’s Law,” amends the definition of “prohibited possessor” to include individuals convicted of specified domestic violence offenses involving dangerous crimes against children, certain violent or threatening offenses, or offenses involving the use or threatened use of physical force or a deadly weapon in domestic violence relationships, as well as individuals subject to qualifying orders of protection.
SB 1600, Unlawful securing of firearms; minors
Creates the crime of unlawful securing of a firearm by establishing that a person with criminal negligence commits an offense if a minor under 17 obtains access to a readily dischargeable firearm due to the person’s failure to take reasonable preventive steps or by leaving the firearm where the minor could access it.
Sponsor:Lela Alston (D)
SB 1378, Domestic violence; firearm transfers
Amends the definition of “prohibited possessor” to include individuals convicted of specified domestic violence offenses involving dangerous crimes against children, certain violent offenses, or subject to qualifying orders of protection after notice and opportunity to participate.
Sponsor:Lauren Kuby (D)
HB 2864, Misconduct involving weapons; instigation
Adds misconduct involving weapons to include instigating another person to commit specified weapons offenses if that person commits the offense. Defines “instigating” as encouraging or directing another person to commit a crime or to engage in an act likely to result in a crime. Sponsor:Lydia Hernandez (D)
HB 2736, Firearm hold agreements; liability limitation
Establishes that an individual or private entity is not liable for returning a firearm to its owner at the end of a “firearm hold agreement”, unless the action arises from otherwise unlawful conduct by the holder. Sponsor:Aaron Márquez (D)
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Copper Dome Update
The Work Continues
The 2026 legislative session has been a busy one for Arizona’s firearms community, and AzCDL has been right in the middle of it. The work is not always loud. It is not always visible. Much of it happens in bill tracking, committee review, amendment analysis, conversations with legislators, and the slow process of making sure bad policy never gets enough oxygen to move.That work matters.
This year, AzCDL supported several important pro-rights bills, while also making sure 29 bad firearms bills went nowhere. That is not an accident. It is the result of constant monitoring, early engagement, and a clear message at the Capitol: Arizona’s right to keep and bear arms is not negotiable.
Good Bills Make Progress
One of the major bills we supported was HB 2763, dealing with the closure of state-owned shooting ranges. This bill adds real guardrails before a facility like the Ben Avery Shooting Facility can be closed. Under the bill, closure would require public process, Game and Fish Commission action, legislative review, a joint resolution, and final executive approval. That matters because public shooting ranges are not disposable assets. They serve competitive shooters, hunters, trainers, law enforcement partners, recreational shooters, and ordinary citizens who need safe, lawful places to train. Arizona has invested in these facilities, and AzCDL worked to make sure they cannot be shut down by administrative convenience or political pressure.
We also supported SB 1058, the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act. This bill prohibits the use of firearm-specific merchant category codes to single out firearm retailers and also restricts government entities from maintaining unlawful registries of privately owned firearms or firearm owners. Financial surveillance is one of the newer fronts in the gun-control debate. If government cannot directly ban a lawful activity, the next step is often to track it, chill it, or pressure financial institutions to make it harder. SB 1058 is a direct response to that strategy.
Another priority bill was SB 1069, which removes Arizona’s state-law treatment of firearm muffling devices, commonly called suppressors, as prohibited weapons when possessed in compliance with federal law. Suppressors are not Hollywood silencers. They are safety devices that reduce hearing damage, improve range conditions, and help responsible shooters train with less noise exposure. This bill helps align Arizona law with practical reality.
AzCDL also supported SB 1424, which requires age-appropriate firearm safety instruction in public schools. The bill is narrowly focused on accident prevention and personal safety awareness. It does not authorize live firearms in classrooms, firearm handling, ammunition, political messaging, or firearm-use training. The purpose is simple: children should know what to do if they encounter a firearm. Stop. Do not touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult. That is not politics. That is safety.
Bad Bills Stopped in Their Tracks
At the same time, we helped stop a long list of bad bills, including proposals that would have imposed broad firearm transfer restrictions, banned commonly owned firearms and magazines, created vague accessory bans, expanded prohibited possessor categories without adequate safeguards, imposed new permit requirements on ordinary concealed carry, created waiting periods, limited purchases, and opened the door to firearm seizures through civil processes with weak due process protections. Twenty-nine bad bills did not move. That is a win for every lawful Arizona gun owner.
Work Continues Outside the Legislature
Maricopa County is currently developing its 2040 Comprehensive Plan, and AzCDL is reviewing that process to make sure no language is inserted that could impair the right to keep and bear arms. Comprehensive plans may sound harmless, but they can shape zoning, land-use priorities, facility planning, transportation policy, public safety goals, and future ordinance development. If anti-rights language gets planted in a planning document today, it can become the justification for restrictions tomorrow.
We are also continuing our municipal ordinance review across Arizona. State preemption means local governments do not get to create their own patchwork of firearms restrictions. That does not mean they always get it right. AzCDL has been combing through municipal codes to identify ordinances that conflict with Arizona law or create improper burdens on lawful firearm owners.
We have also filed a public records request with the City of Phoenix seeking information on firearms the city is holding and not selling. Arizona law requires disposal of certain seized or forfeited firearms through lawful sale, not indefinite warehousing or quiet destruction by neglect. If Phoenix is failing to comply with its statutory obligations, AzCDL will press the issue. The first step is to secure the release of the records. The second step is pressure. If the city still refuses to follow the law, litigation may be the only remaining option.
Finally, I will be traveling to Washington, D.C., for a week of meetings on Capitol Hill. Those meetings will cover several policy areas, but every office I meet with will hear the same message: support the pro-Second Amendment agenda now moving through Congress. That includes encouraging co-sponsorship of the good federal bills that protect lawful gun owners, strengthen national firearms policy, and push back against federal overreach.
AzCDL’s mission has not changed. We defend the right to keep and bear arms in the Legislature, in local government, in public records fights, in planning documents, and wherever else that right is threatened.
The session may be winding down, but the work is not.
Keep your powder dry and stay frosty.
—Michael Infanzon, EPIC Policy Group
AzCDL Chief Lobbyist
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New Terrain, New Strategy—AzCDLPAC
For over 20 years AzCDL has had a singular focus on the legislative process. We’ve worked directly with our elected servants to pass legislation that furthers individual rights and to defeat legislation that would impair them.
Historically, the state legislature has leaned our way, but as Arizona’s population has grown more urban, the makeup of the legislature has become a critical factor.
AzCDLPAC is stepping into the arena. Like AzCDL’s lobbying efforts, the AzCDLPAC strategy will follow some guiding principles designed to maximize the PAC’s effectiveness, and to make the best use of your precious donations.
AzCDLPAC does not endorse candidates, which can saddle us with unexpected baggage. Instead, we publish a Recommended Candidates list that is based on voting records and on answers to a Candidate Questionnaire. We have candidates state their positions on a wide variety of issues relating to the right to arms. Of course, giving the right answers on a questionnaire won’t keep a candidate on the Recommended list if that candidate subsequently acts against our interests.
AzCDLPAC helps candidates in selected contests win their races through independent expenditures, focusing on tight races where we can make a difference. We educate and inform AzCDL members about those candidates, and support those candidates with wider publicity.
We can only accomplish this mission with your generous support. We hope you’ll help! This is an opportunity to make a big difference in Arizona’s legislative make-up.
—Chris Knox
AzCDL Secretary
AzCDLPAC Board of Directors
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Listen to the Copper Dome Update: 2A Edition Every Friday on Substack
Your right to keep and bear arms deserves more than headlines—it deserves context, clarity, and a voice you can trust.
Join host Michael Infanzon, AzCDL’s Chief Lobbyist, for a weekly breakdown of legislative action, court rulings, and policy developments that affect Arizona gun owners. Each episode delivers facts, not fluff—equipping you with the information you need to defend your rights and hold elected officials accountable.
New episodes drop every Friday. Listen on Substack: Copper Dome Update – 2A Edition
http://Michaelinfanzon.substack.com
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AzCDL Director Election
To promote continuity in leadership, the terms of office for AzCDL’s directors are staggered. This year, the director position held by our Treasurer, Judy Churchill is expiring.
While Judy is seeking reelection, the nomination process is open to all members, and all those nominated will appear on the ballot. If there is only one nominee for a position, there will not be a balloting process.
If you are an AzCDL Life member interested in competing for this position on the AzCDL Board of Directors, you may nominate yourself or be nominated by any other member.
If you would like to nominate someone else, you must provide a personal verification from the nominee, including the nominee’s signature and membership number, indicating they want to be on the ballot. Candidate biographies and/or statements are welcomed.
Mail all nomination requests to:
AzCDL Membership
PO Box 25353
Prescott Valley, AZ
86312-5353
You may also e-mail nominations to:
secretary@AzCDL.org
A readable, scanned image of the nominee’s personal verification document attached to an e-mail may be considered acceptable if, in the sole judgment of AzCDL’s Board of Directors, it can be verified as authentic.
All nominations must be received by AzCDL by midnight, Saturday, June 27, 2026. Any nomination received after June 27, 2026 will not be placed on the ballot.
If you include a candidate biography and/or a statement of why they/you should be elected, it must be limited to a single 8.5” x 11” page using standard margins and line spacing, and a font size equivalent to Arial 10. Any legitimate candidate statement timely received will be made available to members during the balloting process.