A report from an Arizona government entity suggesting that the best way to protect the state’s children from so-called “gun violence” is to “remove all firearms in households with children” is getting some major pushback from Republican state lawmakers.
The annual report to the legislature by the Arizona Child Fatality Review Team (CFRT), which reviewed child deaths in 2023, includes the team’s recommendation that it “believes that the most effective way to prevent firearm-related deaths in children is to remove all firearms in households with children because the presence of firearms in a household increases the risk of suicide among adolescents.”
If you think confiscating guns from every Arizona home that has a child in it sounds extreme, rest assured that the chairman and vice chairman of the state House Judiciary Committee feel exactly the way about the proposal, according to a news release issued by them. State Reps. Quang Nguyen and Selina Bliss, Judiciary Committee chair and vice-chair, have issued a letter to Jennie Cunico, cabinet executive officer of the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), voicing strong objections to the report.
“We are appalled that the CFRT, speaking on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health Services, is actually advocating for stripping Arizonans of their Second Amendment rights in their own homes,” the letter stated. “This radical proposal is reminiscent of New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 2023 gun control order, which attempted to prohibit (the) carrying of firearms in public for self-defense. You may recall that Governor Grisham’s order—accurately characterized as ‘insanely unconstitutional’ and ‘outrageous’—was swiftly blocked in court.”
The letter also said that the CFRT’s “do-something” approach to child-fatality legislation would not only violate the constitutional rights of millions of Arizonans, but it is also irrational from a policy perspective.
“Effective policy solutions—even for problems that are difficult and complex—must be designed to fully protect constitutional rights and liberties,” the letter stated. “We urge you to direct the CFRT to reconsider its unjustified attack on the Second Amendment and amend its report.”
Rep. Nguyen, Judiciary Committee chair, expressed frustration that the state agency would make such an extreme suggestion.
“Proposals to strip citizens of their firearms are not only unconstitutional but also lack common sense,” he said. “While the report suggests reasonable safety measures for other risks, such as drowning, the CFRT overreaches by advocating for the elimination of firearms entirely from homes with children.”
Rep. Bliss, the committee co-chair, has similar misgivings.
“Our state should focus on education and safe practices, not on extreme measures that undermine individual liberties,” she said. “We stand firm in defending the Second Amendment rights of Arizona families.”
