A few days ago, we sent out an email that highlighted the scale and persistence of the anti-Second Amendment campaign underway in Arizona: Over the past eight years, 178 bills have been introduced in the Arizona Legislature to restrict your right to keep and bear arms. The message was clear: this is not an accident. It’s a calculated strategy by gun control proponents to erode your rights incrementally, bill by bill, session by session.
One of our longtime life members replied with a fair and necessary question:
“Defense is great, but when will AzCDL go on offense?”
I respect the question. It reflects a sense of urgency and desire for progress that all of us at AzCDL share. It also gives me an opportunity to speak directly to you, our members and supporters, about what “offense” looks like in today’s political reality — particularly in the three years since I took over the role of Chief Lobbyist from the late Dave Kopp.
Let’s be clear: We have been on offense. The challenge is that “offense” in a hostile political environment doesn’t always mean passing a sweeping pro-2A omnibus bill. It means writing bills, running bills, amending bills, blocking poison-pill amendments, forcing debates, creating public records, shaping narrative, and putting the opposition on notice — while still managing to pass meaningful laws despite an anti-gun Governor.
42 Pro-RKBA Bills Moved in 3 Years
During my three-year tenure leading AzCDL’s lobbying operations, we have played an active role in FORTY-TWO (42) pieces of legislation that had pro-Second Amendment implications. That’s not just rubber-stamping someone else’s work. That includes:
1. Drafting legislative language from scratch
2. Providing amendment language in committee or floor sessions
3. Working with key legislators behind the scenes to improve or fix bills
4. Testifying in hearings and securing votes through direct advocacy
5. Killing bad bills via procedural traps or lack of quorum
6. Attaching RKBA-friendly provisions to bills in other policy areas
That’s offensive strategy. That’s what it looks like to fight smart in a state where the 9th Floor is openly hostile to firearms freedom.
What Did We Get Signed Into Law?
Arizona’s current Governor has made no secret of her views on the Second Amendment. She aligns with national organizations that support bans on standard-capacity magazines, red flag laws, and restrictions on lawful carry. And she has a veto pen.
Despite this, AzCDL helped get bills signed into law in each of the past three years. Some of these were not exclusively “gun bills” — but they carried significant Second Amendment consequences.
To the members who ask, “Why didn’t I hear about that?”—you probably did, but you may not have realized the implications. Because when the environment is this toxic, smart legislative strategy isn’t about grabbing headlines – it’s about grabbing gains.
Here are a few examples:
1. Strengthening Preemption: We’ve drafted and backed bills that reinforce state-level preemption of firearm laws—a critical tool in preventing cities from enacting their own gun control ordinances in violation of state law in addition to our litigation against Pima County.
2. Gun Show Preemption Advocacy: While the bill titled Political subdivisions; gun shows; preemption was ultimately vetoed, the groundwork laid by that effort allowed us to push back locally. We directly engaged with the City of Scottsdale to secure approval for a gun show venue after initial resistance, and we successfully defended a gun show in Pima County from being undermined by unconstitutional restrictions imposed by the Board of Supervisors. That’s what proactive defense looks like – protecting community access to Second Amendment-related commerce in real time.
3. CCW Renewal Streamlining: We supported Fingerprinting; criminal history; records checks, which mandates that fingerprint cards be retained for several additional years. This may seem procedural on the surface, but it results in a smoother, faster, and less burdensome renewal process for concealed carry permit holders.
4. School Safety & Armed Staff Consideration: We backed School safety; proposals; assessments; plans, which requires public schools to revisit and revise their safety plans and consider the option of armed staff. While not a direct expansion of campus carry, it creates a policy wedge that allows local districts to implement real-world defensive strategies and puts the possibility of armed defense back into the official school safety conversation.
Every one of these legislative wins was a result of sustained lobbying, member engagement, and grassroots pressure coordinated by AzCDL.
Offense Is About Terrain, Timing, and Traction
If you’re expecting a flashy “Second Amendment Sanctuary State” bill to move under this administration—let me stop you right there. That’s legislative theater. If it gets a hearing, it dies in Rules. If it passes both chambers, it gets vetoed. You’ve seen this cycle before. You know how it ends.
Instead, we choose to play a long game that stacks real legislative victories, builds allies in key districts, and lays traps that force opponents to show their cards. That’s how you reshape the battlefield session after session.
If you want to understand my lobbying style…pick up “On War” by Carl von Clausewitz and “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu. I read them both as an 18-year old Marine infantryman and the lessons have stuck with me.
Here’s what offensive strategy has looked like in practice:
1. We push bills even when we know they’ll be vetoed. Why? Because it forces the opposition to go on record. That becomes campaign ammunition, media fodder, and donor engagement. And it keeps pressure on swing-district legislators to choose between their leadership and their voters.
2. We exploit legislative vehicles. Some of our biggest wins haven’t come from standalone gun bills—they’ve come from rider amendments or strategic placement in other legislation. If you’re not watching every appropriations, judiciary, or military affairs bill, you’re missing where the real work happens.
3. We organize. We’ve increased our presence at the Capitol, expanded communications, and activated member mobilization tools – emails, RTS alerts, Substack/Zoom updates, and local LD engagement. That’s offensive pressure.
Is It Enough?
No. It never is. Not when your rights are under attack.
But here’s the truth: AzCDL is not a magic wand. We are a pressure machine. The more pressure we generate, the more effective we are. So when members ask, “When will you go on offense?” I return the question:
Will you stand with us, speak out, and show up when it matters most?
Going on offense requires:
1. Legislators willing to sponsor bold bills
2. Committee chairs who won’t bury those bills
3. A public willing to call, write, and testify
4. A movement that knows the difference between noise and results
What Comes Next?
We’re not waiting around. We are already drafting new legislative proposals for the 2026 session. These include:
1. Strengthened campus carry protections—to ensure that lawful adults attending public universities and colleges can defend themselves on campus
2. Mandatory notification and repeal of municipal code violations—to combat hidden and outdated local firearm ordinances that violate state preemption laws
3. Preemptive anti-red-flag provisions—aimed at codifying due process protections before any federal or interstate compact attempts to impose seizure laws
We will keep going — but the reality is that none of these have a path to the Governor’s desk right now. So we keep the pressure on, build the record, and grow the grassroots.
Final Word: Dave Kopp’s Legacy, and Yours
When I took over this role after the passing of Dave Kopp, I knew it would be a heavy lift. Dave was a fighter, a mentor, and a true believer. He understood what most casual observers don’t: you don’t win the war with one battle. You win it by showing up every single day, in every hearing, every office, every draft room.
That’s what we’ve done – and that’s what we will keep doing.
Offense is not a slogan. It’s a grind. It’s not just about winning the game – it’s about owning the field.
So to every member who’s ever asked, “When will AzCDL go on offense?” — the answer is:
We never stopped.
Want to be part of the offense?
- Forward this to 3 people
- Recruit a new member
- Donate to the Legislative Action Fund
- Join our RTS (Request to Speak) team
- Run for precinct committeeman
- Show up at the Capitol
This is your fight. We’re on the front lines. Let’s move.
Stay Frosty.
Michael Infanzon
Chief Lobbyist, Arizona Citizens Defense League
EPIC Policy Group