Arizona: House Committee Passes Preemption Reform Legislation!

Please Contact Your State Representative!

On Wednesday, February 17, the House Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee (MAAPS) passed House Bill 2543 by a vote of 7 to 1. The bill is still assigned to Judiciary, as it was double assigned and we are working to release it at this time.  HB 2543, similar to Senate Bill 1168, is a much needed improvement over Arizona’s current preemption statute.

As amended in MAAPS Committee, HB 2543 would strengthen Arizona’s preemption statute by removing unnecessarily burdensome restrictions on the transportation and possession of firearms, increasing the protection from local towns and cities passing restrictive ordinances against carry or possession of firearms, and providing future protection for lawful storage of firearms, ammunition and ammunition components.

If not for a strong and uniform state preemption law, the result can be a complex patchwork of restrictions that change from one local jurisdiction to the next.  It is unreasonable to require citizens, whether residents of Arizona or someone visiting Arizona, to memorize a myriad of laws and possibly violate a local ordinance even though it was clear there was no criminal intent.